Nano-scale defenders tackling sweet cherry (Prunus avium) fungal threats with eco-friendly zinc oxide nanoparticles

Green nanotechnology holds significant potential for use in agriculture due to its antifungal properties, ability to control fungal diseases, and reduce the reliance on chemical fungicides. Prunus avium (sweet cherry) is highly valued for its nutritional content but is vulnerable to microbial infections, particular postharvest. This work aims to use zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) obtained from Artemisia annua to diagnose and manage fruit rot disease in sweet cherry. The synthesis of ZnO-NPs was confirmation using several characterization methods, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible spectroscopy (UV), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Transmission Electron Microscopy, which revealed a uniform spherical morphology. In vitro and in vivo evaluations demonstrated significant antifungal effectiveness of ZnO-NPs against the Fusarium equiseti ( F. equiseti ). Specifically, ZnO-NPs at 100 mg/L concentrations inhibited mycelial growth by over 88%. This treatment also reduced the severity of fruit rot by approximately 77.8% in in vivo studies using the wound method. These findings support using ZnO-NPs as a biocompatible and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional chemical fungicides in agriculture. Future research should focus on scaling up the synthesis process for industrial applications, exploring the long-term environmental impact, and assessing the broader applicability of ZnO-NPs in managing other phytopathogenic diseases across various crops. • Bio-synthesized ZnO-NPs from A. annua show potent antifungal activity. • Advanced characterization confirms ZnO-NPs structure and their effect on fruit. • ZnO-NPs show promise as a safe, nanofungicide against Fusarium equiseti .