Modification of Chitosan as a Strategy for Creating Innovative Plant Protection Products

Natural polymers encompass various classes of biologically important molecules that form the basis of living tissue and are involved in the metabolic processes of living organisms. Natural polymers play a diverse role in biological systems, making them a logical basis for developing means of protecting plants from phytopathogenic species—causative agents of diseases. Chitosan, an aminopolysaccharide with valuable physicochemical properties, biocidal and elicitor activity, and being safe for the environment, has proven itself well in this capacity. The polysaccharide nature of chitosan and the presence of reactive functional groups provide a wide possibility for its chemical modification, allowing the introduction of new properties to the polymer. This paper presents several approaches to creating plant protection products based on chitosan, including variations in molecular weight, colloidal-chemical state, and binding with biologically active modifiers via various mechanisms. In all cases, modified chitosan exhibited enhanced protective properties against plant pathogens.