Clay nanoparticles provide chemical-free crop protection

Researchers from The University of Queensland (UQ) have found that by combining clay nanoparticles with designer RNAs, it is possible to silence certain genes within plants. Their ‘BioClay’ technology provides a crop protection technique that is environmentally friendly, sustainable and, most importantly, effective.

“In agriculture, the need for new control agents grows each year, driven by demand for greater production, the effects of climate change, community and regulatory demands, and toxicity and pesticide resistance,” said research leader and study co-author Professor Neena Mitter.

“Our disruptive research involves a spray of nanosized degradable clay used to release double-stranded RNA that protects plants from specific disease-causing pathogens.”

Based on nanoparticles used in the development of human drug treatments, the technology reduces the use of pesticides without altering the genome of the plants. Professor Mitter explained, “Once BioClay is applied, the plant ‘thinks’ it is being attacked by a disease or pest insect and responds by protecting itself from the targeted pest or disease.”

BioClay has a number of advantages over existing chemical-based pesticides. By loading the agents onto clay nanoparticles, they do not wash off, enabling them to be released over an extended period of time before degrading. The technology is also non-toxic and can be used in a highly targeted way to protect crops against specific pathogens.

“A single spray of BioClay protects the plant and then degrades, reducing the risk to the environment or human health,” said Professor Mitter.

Professor Mitter said BioClay meets consumer demands for sustainable crop protection and residue-free produce, with the cleaner approach expected to value-add to the food and agribusiness industry. Study co-author Professor Zhi Ping Xu added that the technology’s applications “expand into a much wider field of primary agricultural production”.

The project was supported by a Queensland Government Accelerate Partnership grant and a partnership with chemical company Nufarm. It has been published in the journal Nature Plants.