ABSTRACT Plant‐pathogenic bacteria pose a serious threat to crop production, and although several methods have been established, preventive strategies remain the most widely applied. In this study we propose the controlled application of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), synthesised using plant extracts from Artemisia absinthium , Artemisia vulgaris , Echium vulgare , Glechoma hederacea , Solidago canadensis and Urtica dioica , against economically important plant‐pathogenic bacteria: Clavibacter sepedonicus and Ralstonia solanacearum (both quarantine pests), Erwinia amylovora and Xanthomonas campestris (regulated non‐quarantine pests) as well as Dickeya solani and Pectobacterium carotovorum . The minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) of the AgNPs obtained from A. absinthium , A. vulgaris or S. canadensis , with values of 1.3–9.7 mg/L Ag, pointed to their high antibacterial activities. In contrast, application of the AgNPs synthesised with the extracts of E. vulgare , G. hederacea or U. dioica resulted in MBC ranging from 2 to 20 mg/L Ag. The potential phytotoxic effects of AgNPs on seeds and seedlings of Pisum sativum , Triticum aestivum , Solanum lycopersicum , Solanum melongena , Beta vulgaris and Phaseolus vulgaris during the first week of growth were also evaluated. No statistically significant phytotoxic impact on germination or early growth of the tested plants was observed after the application of AgNPs at the concentration of 40 mg/L Ag. The newly synthesised plant‐derived AgNPs described here may contribute to the development of an ecofriendly strategy against plant‐pathogenic bacteria and offer an alternative to pesticides in seed treatment and integrated disease management.
Prusinski et al. (Thu,) studied this question.