Bacteria, fungi, viruses, and nematodes are the major causal agents of plant diseases. These phytopathogens are responsible for about 10-40% losses in productivity and quality of food crops and horticultural produce. Although eradication of pathogens is not possible, control of plant diseases has been an area of continuous improvement/research. Use of antimicrobials, bacteriophages, and biocontrol agents, natural and synthetic agrochemicals along with best farm management practices constitute integrated measures for disease control. However, the quest for new materials continues due to pesticide resistance in the pathogens, emergence of new serotypes, and accumulation of high quantities of agrochemical contaminants in the ecosystem and associated environmental hazards, specificity of biocontrol agents, succession of pathogens during the plant growth phase, etc. The emergence of "nanotechnology," a multidisciplinary field of research, has provided a plethora of nanomaterials for potential applications in the agricultural sector. Control of plant diseases requires agents that reduce the pathogen to manageable levels, tools for early-stage detection of pathogen, and compounds that elicit immune response in the host plants. Nanomaterials have in fact been assessed for their utility in all these approaches for disease control. The present review discusses nanomaterials for controlling phytopathogens, nanomaterials in plant disease diagnostics, and nanomaterials as elicitors of the plant immune system. These nanomaterials thus represent new weapons in the fight against the phytopathogens. Recent studies indicate that nanomaterials will be a crucial component in the agroecosystem.

中文翻译：

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纳米材料：对抗植物病原体的新武器。

细菌，真菌，病毒和线虫是植物病害的主要诱因。这些植物病原体导致粮食作物和园艺产品的生产力和质量损失约10-40％。尽管不可能消灭病原体，但是控制植物病害一直是不断改进/研究的领域。使用抗菌剂，噬菌体和生物防治剂，天然和合成农用化学品以及最佳农场管理规范构成了疾病控制的综合措施。但是，由于病原体对农药的抗性，新血清型的出现以及生态系统中大量农药化学污染物的积累以及相关的环境危害，生物防治剂的特异性，在植物生长阶段等期间，病原体会不断发生变化。“纳米技术”的出现是一个多学科的研究领域，它为农业领域的潜在应用提供了许多纳米材料。控制植物病害需要将病原体降低到可控制水平的试剂，病原体早期检测的工具以及在宿主植物中引起免疫反应的化合物。实际上已经评估了纳米材料在所有这些疾病控制方法中的实用性。本综述讨论了用于控制植物病原体的纳米材料，用于植物病害诊断的纳米材料以及作为植物免疫系统激发子的纳米材料。因此，这些纳米材料代表了对抗植物病原体的新武器。