Antifungal and insecticidal activities of Raphanus sativus mediated AgNPs against mango leafhopper, Amritodus brevistylus and its associated fungus, Aspergillus niger

Mangifera indica is an important commercial fruit of India and primary food source for the mango leafhopper, Amritodus brevistylus further leading to the development of its associated fungus, Aspergillus niger. The present study was done to assess the antifungal and insecticidal activity of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles using peel extracts of Raphanus sativus (Brassicaceae). Raphanus sativus peel extract is effective in extracellular reduction of Ag ions and capping the synthesized nanoparticles avoiding further agglomeration. The synthesized AgNPs are characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis. Biologically synthesized AgNPs exhibited significant toxicity (LC50 − 7.61 ppm/48h) over mango leafhopper, Amritodus brevistylus. Silver nanoparticles synthesized using Raphanus sativus is also effective against the fungal pathogen, Aspergillus niger (developed on the infestations of mango leafhopper, Amritodus brevistylus) showing very strong inhibitory zone (80 mm).