GABA-Decorated\nNanocarrier for Smart Delivery of Fludioxonil\nfor Targeted Control of Banana Wilt Disease

Developing a targeted nanopesticide to control the vascular\ndisease\nof banana in agriculture is crucial to improve pesticide utilization.\nIn this study, according to the degree of functionalization, three\nγ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-decorated nanocarriers (PSI-GABA<sub>8</sub>, PSI-GABA<sub>18</sub>, and PSI-GABA<sub>28</sub>) were constructed\nfor smart delivery of nonsystemic fungicide in banana phloem tissues.\nFludioxonil (Flu) was loaded in nanocarriers to form Flu@PSI-GABA\nnanoparticles with a core/shell structure for control of banana wilt\ndisease. Results demonstrated that the delivery dosage of Flu was\nup to 1.6 mg/L in castor phloem sap using PSI-GABA<sub>28</sub> nanocarriers. <i>In vitro</i> results showed that the EC<sub>50</sub> of Flu@PSI-GABA<sub>28</sub> was 0.0116 mg/L, and the inhibitory activity was about 8.8\ntimes higher than that of technical-grade (TC) Flu. Flu@PSI-GABA<sub>28</sub> could be transported for long distances and accumulated\nto the rhizome of banana by foliar application, and the control effectiveness\nwas about 20 times that of the conventional Flu (50% WP) for the banana\nwilt. This study provides a distinctive guidance for effective control\nof vascular diseases in precision agriculture application.