Antifungal activity of chitooligosaccharide-nano silver and its effects on safflower seed germination and seedling growth

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20250117

Acta Agriculturae Zhejiangensis ›› 2026, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (1): 76-84.DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20250117

• Horticultural Science • Previous Articles Next Articles

Antifungal activity of chitooligosaccharide-nano silver and its effects on safflower seed germination and seedling growth

YUAN Zengyan¹(), REN Xinxin², SONG Xiaofeng², ZHU Yunhao³^,^*()

1. School of Medical Laboratory, North Henan Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, Henan, China
2. School of Life Science and Biotechnology, North Henan Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, Henan, China
3. School of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China

Received:2025-02-17 Online:2026-01-25 Published:2026-02-11

Abstract

Abstract:

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) coated with polysaccharides have been applied in disease control, crop pest management, and seed treatment. Chitooligosaccharide (COS), a natural polysaccharide, is recognized as a natural plant immune modulator. Additionally, COS has been utilized as a stabilizer for AgNPs. This study investigated the synthesis and antifungal activity of chitooligosaccharide-nano silver (COS-AgNPs), as well as their effects on safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) seed germination and seedling growth when used as a seed treatment agent. The results showed that a characteristic absorption peak at 431 nm was observed after the reaction between COS and silver nitrate, and the product exhibited infrared spectral characteristic peaks similar to those of COS, confirming the successful synthesis of COS-AgNPs. The average particle size of COS-AgNPs was 86 nm, and they possessed a typical face-centered cubic (FCC) structure. In vitro antifungal tests demonstrated that COS-AgNPs exerted inhibitory effects on the growth of Fusarium equiseti, Fusarium solani, and Mucor piriformis. When the mass concentration of COS-AgNPs was 100 μg·mL^-1, the maximum inhibition rates against these three pathogenic fungi all exceeded 73%. Treatment with 12.5 μg·mL^-1 COS-AgNPs could promote the germination of safflower seeds. Furthermore, treatment with an appropriate mass concentration of COS-AgNPs could increase the plant height, root length, number of lateral roots, and fresh weight of safflower seedlings, thereby promoting the growth of safflower seedlings.

Key words: chitooligosaccharide, nano silver, antifungal activity, safflower, seed germination

CLC Number:

YUAN Zengyan, REN Xinxin, SONG Xiaofeng, ZHU Yunhao. Antifungal activity of chitooligosaccharide-nano silver and its effects on safflower seed germination and seedling growth[J]. Acta Agriculturae Zhejiangensis, 2026, 38(1): 76-84.

Figures/Tables 5

Fig.1 Characterization of chitooligosaccharide-nano silver (COS-AgNPs) A, Color of chitooligosaccharide (COS, left) and COS-AgNPs (right); B, Ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum of the prepared COS-AgNPs; C, Particle size of the prepared COS-AgNPs; D, X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of the prepared COS-AgNPs; E, Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR) of the prepared COS-AgNPs.

Fig.2 Effect of final mass concentration of chitooligosaccharides (COS) (A) and final AgNO3 concentration (B) on the synthesis of chitooligosaccharides-nano silver (COS-AgNPs)

Table 1 Inhibition rate of different mass concentrations of chitooligosaccharides-nano silver (COS-AgNPs) against pathogenic fungi

质量浓度/(μg·mL^-1) Mass cconcentration/(μg·mL^-1)	对不同菌株的抑制率/%Inhibition rate aginst different fungi strains/%
质量浓度/(μg·mL^-1) Mass cconcentration/(μg·mL^-1)	WY3	BZ-1	BZ-2
50	57.93±1.82 c	18.83±5.62 e	27.06±1.21 e
60	54.88±4.22 c	27.27±1.73 e	30.24±1.83 e
70	54.27±3.16 c	57.79±0.71 d	39.79±0.45 d
80	55.49±2.79 c	65.58±0.73 c	55.44±0.67 c
90	60.98±0.79 b	70.78±1.95 b	77.19±1.21 b
100	73.78±2.11 a	77.92±1.12 a	80.37±1.21 a

Fig.3 Influence of chitooligosaccharides-nano silver (COS-AgNPs) mass concentration on germination rate of safflower seeds Bars marked without the same letters indicate significant difference at p<0.05 on the same day.

Fig.4 Influence of chitooligosaccharides-nano silver (COS-AgNPs) mass concentrations on growth of safflower seedlings Bars marked without the same letters indicate significant difference at p<0.05.

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Antifungal activity of chitooligosaccharide-nano silver and its effects on safflower seed germination and seedling growth

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