Biosynthesis of selenium nanoparticles by Penicillium griseofulvum and their impact on Spodoptra littoralis

Nanotechnology has emerged as the forefront of innovation, permeating numerous domains, notably agriculture, employing it as an eco-safe alternative for pest control. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) was biosynthesized using fungal filtrates of Penicillium griseofulvum, Penicillium expansum, Aspergillus candidus, Aspergillus tereus and Aspergillus flavus. SeNPs were detected by P. griseofulvum using UV-visual spectrophotometer with red-yellowish color forming at strong peak 265 nm. The average size diameter of SeNPs was 91.25 nm. SeNPs resulted in the highest mortality rates for both larvae and pupae. P. griseofulvum selected for further study so verification of its identity was accomplished using the 18S rRNA gene of DNA and the resulting fungal sequence was deposited into NCBI under accession number OR672743. Cotton leafworm, Spodoptra littoralis causes great damages in cotton crop. SeNPs produced from P. griseofulvum was highly effective against S. littoralis than its spore suspension at all experimental conditions. The LC50 and LC90 were 4.79 and 8.89 PPM, respectively after 5 days post-treatment. While the slope value of toxicity linear attained 4.7742±0.9066. These findings suggest that SeNPs produced by P. griseofulvum was encourage the use in pest control systems as well as the development of environmentally friendly materials.