Nahid Khosravi - Department of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran.
Habiballah Charehgani - Department of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran.
Mohammad Abdollahi - Department of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran.
Hamid Reza Rajabi - Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran.

Root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne spp. cause ۵% of the global crop losses. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are a potentially effective nematicide. There are many methods to synthesize metallic nanoparticles, including using organic compounds, which are clean and environmentally friendly. In the present studies, the efficacy of as-synthesized AgNPs using Malva sylvestris extract (Ms-AgNPs) on egg hatching and mortality of the second-stage juveniles (J۲) of M. javanica in vitro, and on the growth parameters of nematode infected tomato plant under greenhouse conditions was investigated. The results showed that increasing Ms-AgNPs concentration decreased the hatching rate and increased the mortality of J۲. Ms-AgNPs at ۱۰۷, ۱۶۴ and ۲۵۰ ppm reduced J۲ numbers by ۳۰, ۵۰, and ۷۰%, respectively, and were established as lethal doses for nematode control. Ms-AgNPs at a dosage of ۲۵۰ ppm reduced the number of eggs in the root system and the nematode reproduction factor by ۶۰.۴ and ۵۶.۳%, respectively, and increased shoot length and shoot fresh weight by ۱۱.۲ and ۱۴%, respectively. Ms-AgNPs at a very low concentration reduced the population of M. javanica without causing any harmful effects on tomato. Therefore it can be used in nematode control strategies due to its environmentally friendly composition.

Control, microwave-assisted extraction, plant-mediated synthesis