Synthesis of Nano Sulfur/Chitosan-Copper Complex and Its Nematicidal Effect against Meloidogyne incognita In Vitro and on Coffee Pots

Sulfur is one of the inorganic elements used by plants to develop and produce phytoalexin to resist certain diseases. This study reported a method for preparing a material for plant disease resistance. Sulfur nanoparticles (SNPs) stabilized in the chitosan-Cu2+ (CS-Cu2+) complex were synthesized by hydrolysis of Na2S2O3 in an acidic medium. The obtained SNPs/CS-Cu2+ complex consisting of 0.32% S, 4% CS, and 0.7% Cu (w/v), contained SNPs with an average size of ~28 nm as measured by transmission electron microscopy images. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the SNPs/CSCu2+ complex showed that SNPs had orthorhombic crystal structures. Interaction between SNPs and the CS-Cu2+ complex was also investigated by ultraviolet-visible. Results in vitro nematicidal effect of materials against Meloidogyne incognita showed that SNPs/CS-Cu2+ complex was more effective in killing second-stage juveniles (J2) nematodes and inhibiting egg hatching than that of CS and CS-Cu2+ complex. The values of LC50 in killing J2 nematodes and EC50 in inhibiting egg hatching of SNPs/CS-Cu2+ complex were 75 and 51 mg/l, respectively. These values were lower than those of CS and the CS-Cu2+ complex. The test results on the nematicidal effect against M. incognita on coffee pots showed that the SNPs/CS-Cu2+ complex was 100% effective at a concentration of 150 mg/l. Therefore, the SNPs/CS-Cu2+ complex could be considered as a biochemical material with potential for agricultural applications to control root-knot nematodes.