Flavoursome tomato varieties could benefit from nanoparticle fertilisers.
Tasty heirloom tomato varieties could soon see a return to our plates thanks to the promising antifungal properties ofmetal oxide nanoparticle fertilisers developed by US scientists.
Centuries of plant breeding mean we've grown accustomed to a narrow range of crops bred primarily for their disease resistance.But while we reap the benefits of greater yields and reliability,we're missing out on a host of different flavours from less disease-hardy varieties.
Now a nanoparticle crop treatment developed byWade ElmerandJason Whiteat Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station,US,could give older tomato varieties – more susceptible to root pathogens such as wilt fungus – a helping hand.Applying copper and manganese oxide nanoparticles to the leaves of tomato plants grown in soil infected with theVerticilliumwilt fungus increased fruit yields by up to 33% compared with untreated plants.
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