Brief Description of Technology including Salient Features: Thymol is water insoluble and problem of insolubility ameliorate through its nano-emulsion. Thymol nano-emulsion has been prepared by synthetic surfactant and which is not safe for use in agriculture and food. In present invention, biosurfactant, saponin (a plant extract) has been used for synthesis of plant based nano-emulsion which is safe for said purpose. In agriculture 40-50% of agrichemicals are not reaching to targets. Nano sized droplets of nanoemulsion effortlessly absorbed by plant cell and microbes and act as sustainable plant growth and protection agent which solve the problem of runoff/drift off agrochemicals. Prepared plant based nanoemulsion in which thymol is encapsulated in saponin and further coated with Zinc molecules, prevent the sudden expose of thymol to cellular system which prevent the toxicity of thymol and Zinc serves as micronutrient for sustainable plant growth and provides nutrition to growing plant. Thymol nanoemulsion is very effective at very low dose, therefore, economical for users.
Utility: Plant growth promoter, plant nutrient, crop protection against pathogens
Impact, if Adopted: NA
Social Impact: Reduces the environment hazards and/human health. Eg. thymol nanoemulsion is biodegradable and synthesized by non-synthetic material and can be very safe for agricultural application.
Technology Spread: NA
Target users/stakeholders: Farmers
Business and Commercial Potential, if any: Yes
Target Market/Users: Agrochemicals
Status of Existing Comparable Process/Product: NA
Advantage over Existing Process/Product: Better availability, less toxicity & reduce application losses
Principal Inventor & Contact details, mail id: Dr. Vinod Saharan, Nano Research Facility Laboratory, Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology (MPUAT), Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001; vinodsaharan@gmail.com
Co-Inventors: Drs. Sarita Kumari, Shyam Sundar Sharma
Title of the project under which it is developed and the funder: Nano-Formulations against diseases of Maize and Soybean Funder- Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY), Government of Rajasthan, India.
Title of the project under which it is evaluated and the funder: AICRP-Maize Pathology trials
Year of evaluation and release: Kharif 2016-18
Commercialized: No
Attach relevant publication:
Choudhary RC, Kumaraswamy RV, Kumari S, Sharma SS, Pal A, Raliya R, Biswas P, Saharan V. Zinc encapsulated chitosan nanoparticle to promote maize crop yield. International journal of biological macromolecules. 2019 Apr 15;127:126-35.
Choudhary RC, Kumaraswamy RV, Kumari S, Sharma SS, Pal A, Raliya R, Biswas P, Saharan V. Cu-chitosan nanoparticle boost defense responses and plant growth in maize (Zea mays L.). Scientific reports. 2017 Aug 29;7(1):1-1.
Kumaraswamy RV, Kumari S, Choudhary RC, Sharma SS, Pal A, Raliya R, Biswas P, Saharan V. Salicylic acid functionalized chitosan nanoparticle: a sustainable biostimulant for plant. International journal of biological macromolecules. 2019 Feb 15;123:59-69.