Driving productivity and disease prevention in sugarcane growth with carbon nanodots

Carbon nanodots (C-dots) are carbogenic nanoparticles that are typically smaller than 10 nm, water dispersible, UV absorbing, highly fluorescent and biocompatible. C-dots have been identified as a potential nutraceutical material for sugarcane farming. Two types of C-dots are highlighted in this paper. In vitro bioassays were developed to study the interactions between CDs and microbial pathogens. Whole-plant studies were used to investigate the phytotoxicity, growth promotion or inhibition effects of C-dots on sugarcane. For sugarcane farming, an efficient nanofertilizer could be a plausible solution to address the problem of fertilizer in run-off water. The pathogen inhibition effect of C-dots offers a new opportunity for developing novel pesticides using a green chemistry approach. Further studies on the mechanisms of pathogen growth inhibition and biomass increase and a wider range of ecotoxicity studies are required for commercial development.