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. 2025 Aug;17(4):e70144.
doi: 10.1111/1758-2229.70144.

Potential Antifungal Effects of Calcium Oxide/Zinc Oxide Nanosuspension on Mycelial Growth of Neoscytalidium dimidiatum (Ascomycota, Botryosphaeriaceae) Associated With Pistachio Dieback

Seyedeh Fatemeh Shojaei  1 , Hamid Mohammadi  2 , Nazanin Foroutan  3 , Saleh Panahandeh  2
Affiliations

Potential Antifungal Effects of Calcium Oxide/Zinc Oxide Nanosuspension on Mycelial Growth of Neoscytalidium dimidiatum (Ascomycota, Botryosphaeriaceae) Associated With Pistachio Dieback

Seyedeh Fatemeh Shojaei et al. Environ Microbiol Rep. 2025 Aug.

Abstract

The study aimed to synthesise and evaluate the efficacy of calcium oxide (CaO) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nano-suspensions, in conjunction with adjuvants, on the mycelial growth of Neoscytalidium dimidiatum, a notable fungal pathogen impacting pistachio trees in Iran. The study tackles a significant agricultural challenge by exploring eight different treatments, including both nano and pure forms of calcium oxide (CaO) and zinc oxide (ZnO), as well as polyethylene glycol, peracetic acid, and copper oxychloride. The results indicated a notable reduction in mycelial growth, particularly with the zinc oxide nanosuspension, especially when used in combination with peracetic acid, which revealed a synergistic antifungal effect. Further research is necessary to assess the field applications of these treatments for sustainable plant disease management.

Keywords: Neoscytalidium; foliar fertiliser; fungicide; mycelial growth; nanosuspension; synergistic effects.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of (a) CaO powder, (b) ZnO powder, (c) CaO nanosuspension, and (d) ZnO nanosuspension. Magnifications: (a, b) × 1000; (c, d) × 50,000. Scale bars: (a, b) = 2 μm; (c, d) = 500 nm.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of (a) CaO powder, (b) ZnO powder, (c) CaO nanosuspension, and (d) ZnO nanosuspension. Scale bars represent 20 nm.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Particle size distribution based on Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis for (a) CaO powder, (b) ZnO powder, (c) CaO nanosuspension, and (d) ZnO nanosuspension. Graphs show the frequency (%) of particles as a function of particle diameter (nm).
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Particle size distribution analysis based on dynamic light scattering (DLS) for (a) CaO nanosuspension and (b) ZnO nanosuspension. The x‐axis represents particle diameter (nm), and the y‐axis indicates the volume percentage of particles.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Zeta potential distribution curves for (a) CaO nanosuspension and (b) ZnO nanosuspension. The x‐axis represents the zeta potential (mV), whilst the y‐axis shows the frequency (%) of particles.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Zeta potential distribution curves after 10 days for (a) CaO nanosuspension and (b) ZnO nanosuspension. The x‐axis represents the zeta potential (mV), whilst the y‐axis shows the frequency (%) of particles.
FIGURE 7
FIGURE 7
Zeta potential distribution curves after 30 days for (a) CaO nanosuspension and (b) ZnO nanosuspension. The x‐axis represents the zeta potential (mV), whilst the y‐axis shows the frequency (%) of particles.
FIGURE 8
FIGURE 8
Fungicidal effects of different treatments on the mycelial growth of Neoscytalidium dimidiatum (IRNM235 isolate) after (a) 24 h and (b) 48 h. Treatments include Control (Cont), Polyethylene Glycol 400 (PEG400), Peracetic Acid (DSP), Calcium oxide nanosuspension (Ca sc), Zinc oxide nano suspension (Zn sc), Calcium oxide powder (Ca p), Zinc oxide powder (ZnO p), and Copper oxychloride (Cu). Different letters above the bars indicate statistically significant differences amongst treatments (p < 0.05).
FIGURE 9
FIGURE 9
Representative images of Neoscytalidium dimidiatum (IRNM235 isolate) mycelial growth under different treatments after 24 h (upper panel) and 48 h (lower panel). Treatments: (a) Control, (b) PEG400, (c) Peracetic Acid, (d) Calcium oxide nanosuspension, (e) Zinc oxide nanosuspension, (f) Calcium Oxide (powder), (g) Zinc Oxide (powder), (h) Copper Oxychloride.
FIGURE 10
FIGURE 10
Fungicidal effects of different treatments on the mycelial growth of Neoscytalidium dimidiatum (RNM237 isolate) after (a) 24 h and (b) 48 h. Treatments include Control (Cont), Polyethylene Glycol 400 (PEG400), Peracetic Acid (DSP), Calcium oxide nanosuspension (Ca sc), Zinc oxide nanosuspension (Zn sc), Calcium oxide powder (Ca p), Zinc oxide powder (ZnO p), and Copper oxychloride (Cu). Different letters above the bars indicate statistically significant differences amongst treatments (p < 0.05).
FIGURE 11
FIGURE 11
Representative images of Neoscytalidium dimidiatum (RNM237 isolate) mycelial growth under different treatments after 24 h (upper panel) and 48 h (lower panel). Treatments: (a) Control, (b) PEG400, (c) Peracetic Acid, (d) Calcium oxide nanosuspension, (e) Zinc oxide nanosuspension, (f) Calcium Oxide (powder), (g) Zinc Oxide (powder), (h) Copper Oxychloride.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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