Sustainable and\nBiosafe Approach to Control Potato\nLate Blight Using Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles

Phytophthora infestans-induced potato\nlate blight is considered the “cancer of the potato crop.”\nIn this work, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with ultrahigh\nspecific surface area (786.28 m<sup>2</sup>/g) were synthesized, which\nsignificantly inhibited P. infestans compared with some commercial fungicides. Moreover, MSNs inhibited\nthe growth and reproductive of P. infestans processes, including germination, sporangia infection, and zoospore\nrelease. MSNs targeted key biological pathways and induced a stress\nresponse in the P. infestans, leading\nto reactive oxygen species (•O<sup>2–</sup>, •OH,\nand <sup>1</sup>O<sub>2</sub>) production and structural damage of\nsporangia. Pot experiments showed that MSNs are translocated from\nleaves to roots of potato plants, enhancing physiological and biochemical\nprocesses, alleviating drought stress, improving resistance to pathogens,\nand exhibiting soil microbe-friendly. This study systematically reveals\nthe mechanism of MSNs to weaken the reproduction process of P. infestans and confirm the safety and feasibility\nof MSNs as a green and sustainable fungicide.