Sustainable and eco-friendly silver nanoparticles synthesized from Arachis hypogaea nutshell extract to control phytopathogens

The growing awareness of the harmful effects of chemical fungicides resulted in the increasing demand for natural and sustainable alternatives for treatment of fungi-infected plants. This study focuses on the green biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AHNPs) using the aqueous extract from the nutshell of Arachis hypogaea, a common bio-waste. The synthesized green silver nanoparticles were characterized using UV–Vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The antifungal activity was analyzed by assessing the synthesized silver nanoparticles in two pathogenic strains of Aspergillus niger. The synthesized silver nanoparticles reduced the growth of Aspergillus niger strain 1 and 2 by 46.25% and 75.29%, respectively, at 100 µg/mL. The study proves that the silver nanoparticles synthesized using Arachis hypogaea nutshell extract is effective in controlling the fungal pathogens. Further research will be carried out to analyze the antifungal activity in field condition and can be developed into nano-based fungicides for commercial applications. Nano-based fungicides are eco-friendly and can be tailor made to suit the farmers need to achieve sustainable agriculture.