Chitosan is an eco-friendly and multipurpose biopolymer that is obtained from the deacetylation of chitin. It is a polysaccharide with several uses. Chitosan is a useful option in phytopathology because of its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and bioactivity. Two naturally occurring substances that may be used in agriculture to manage plant diseases are chitin and chitosan. It was found that these compounds are toxic and that they prevent the growth and development of fungi. According to reports, they were effective against viruses, bacteria, and other pests. When host plants are exposed to microbial infections, fragments of chitin and chitosan have been shown to elicit activities that trigger a range of defence responses, such as the accumulation of phytoalexins, pathogen-related (PR) proteins and proteinase inhibitors, lignin synthesis, and callose formation. Thus, the goal of this study is to give the reader current knowledge about the use of chitosan formulations as pest and diseases control tools as well as information about their potential uses.
Author(s) Details:
Rajkumari Padamini
Plant Protection, MTTC VTC College of Community Science, Central Agricultural University, Imphal, India.
Pukhram Bhumita
Department of Entomology College of Agriculture Central Agricultural University, Imphal, India.
Sanjay Hazarika
Department of Entomology, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat-785013, Assam, India.
Ramesha NM
Division of Entomology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110012, India.
G R Vishwas Gowda
Department of Plant Pathology College of Agriculture, Dharwad University of Agricultural Sciences Dharwad, India.
Kushal Chaturvedi
Department of Entomology Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, India.
Chandan Kumar Panigrahi
Department of Entomology Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan, Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar – 751003, Odisha, India.
Rajshree Karanwal
Plant Pathology, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut. 250110, India.
Recent Global Research Developments in Chitosan: Natural Plant Disease and Insect Management
Insect Pest Management: A review published in the journal Insects discusses various chitosan formulations, including chitosan nanoparticles and chitosan-essential oil combinations, which have shown effectiveness in controlling insect pests [1]. The study highlights chitosan’s ability to enhance the stability and availability of insecticides and essential oils.
Plant Disease Control: Another study in IntechOpen reviews the use of chitosan in agriculture, focusing on its applications in seed coating, plant resistance elicitation, and soil amendment [2]. Chitosan has been found to possess antifungal and antibacterial properties, making it effective against seedborne pathogens and reducing pathogen attacks when used as a soil amendment.
Chitosan Production from Insects: Research published in the Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology provides an overview of chitin extraction from insects and its conversion into chitosan [3]. This study emphasizes the potential of insects as an alternative source of chitosan, which is crucial given the increasing global demand for this biopolymer.
References
- Abenaim L, Conti B. Chitosan as a Control Tool for Insect Pest Management: A Review. Insects. 2023; 14(12):949. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14120949
- Orzali, L., Corsi, B., Forni, C., & Riccioni, L. (2017). Chitosan in agriculture: a new challenge for managing plant disease. Biological activities and application of marine polysaccharides, 10, 17-36.
- Hahn, T., Tafi, E., Paul, A., Salvia, R., Falabella, P., & Zibek, S. (2020). Current state of chitin purification and chitosan production from insects. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology, 95(11), 2775-2795.
