Hemerocallis citrina (H. citrina), a significant economic crop in China, faces severe threats from multiple fungal diseases. This study identified and confirmed that Aspergillus awamori can infect H. citrina leaves, causing leaf wilting and subsequently leading to plant wilting. To combat this, this study developed a sustainable Cu-Feather-keratin (CuFK) nanozyme using waste feather keratin coordinated with copper. It strongly inhibits fungal growth and pathogenicity by interfering with the fungi’s energy metabolism and biosynthetic pathways, forcing the fungi into a defensive state. In plants, CuFK alleviated disease symptoms, enhanced photosynthesis and antioxidant capacity, and reprogrammed host metabolism from stress response to growth recovery. This bioderived nanozyme offers an effective and sustainable strategy for crop disease management through dual pathogen suppression and plant vitality enhancement.
Jiang et al. (2026) studied this question.