Effectiveness of TiO₂ Nanoparticle Application for Treating Fire Blight in Apples

Fire blight, caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, is a major problem for apple and pear growers. Antibiotics (streptomycin and kasugamycin) are commonly applied during apple blossom in spring to control fire blight. Various alternative strategies for controlling fire blight have been attempted, but they are often less effective and sometimes more costly than antibiotic treatments. Although the catalyzation products of water by nanoparticles (NPs) of the mineral titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) and UV radiation have been shown to be a highly effective bactericide, they have not been demonstrated to control fire blight. We conducted field studies at a research orchard in central New York and a commercial orchard in eastern New York. We found that applying low concentrations (450 to 1,300 ppm) of TiO 2 NPs combined with natural solar radiation controlled fire blight as effectively as streptomycin, both at the research orchard and at the commercial orchard. TiO 2 NPs are priced comparably to streptomycin, suggesting that TiO 2 NP photocatalysis may be a cost-effective strategy for controlling fire blight. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .