Abstract
Nanofertilizers formulated from plant peels using nanotechnology offers several advantages, including nutrient absorption, reduced nutrient leaching, effective waste management, pollution reduction and minimized health hazards. The study was conducted to investigate the impact of nanofertilizers (NFs) produced from plant waste materials on the growth and rhizosphere fungi of tomato plants. Watermelon, yam, banana, and plantain peels were obtained and used to formulate nanofertilizers. Tomato plants were transplanted into field bags and treated with different concentrations (10, 15, and 20 ml/L) of the formulated nanofertilizers for five weeks. Various growth parameters, including plant height, girth, leaf and leaflet count, node distribution, and chlorosis severity were assessed. Fungi were isolated from the rhizosphere soil samples obtained from the tomato plants. Rhizosphere fungal diversity was analyzed using cultural and molecular techniques. After five weeks of NF application, the highest plant height (33.2±0.6 cm), girth (1.1±0.3 cm), leaf count (9.2±0.3), leaflet count (68.6±13.9), and node distribution (9.2±0.3) were obtained for the banana NF-treatment, while the lowest plant height (11.9±6.2 cm), girth (0.4±0.2 cm), leaf count (3.2±1.8), leaflet count (13.7±12), node distribution (3.2±1.8) were obtained for watermelon NF-treatment. The suspected rhizosphere fungi species detected were Aspergillus, Botrytis, and Fusarium. Botrytis species had the highest frequency of occurrence (37.5%), followed by Aspergillus (33.3%) and Fusarium (26.2%) in the watermelon NF-treatment. The only fungal species present in the control was Botrytis. The findings of the present study suggest that banana nanofertilizer promotes plant growth, while watermelon NF positively influence fungal population in the rhizosphere soil. A combination of both wastes will be very effective in formulating nanofertilizer.
