Iranian Researchers Develop Nano-Based Kits For Use in Agric Sector
Researchers at the Agricultural Technology Research Institute of Iran have developed two different kits using nanotechnology, one to detect nitrate and nitrite in crops and the other a colorimetric kit based on plasmonic nanoparticles to quickly and accurately detect ammonia dissolved in the water in aquaculture industry.
“High concentration of nitrite and nitrate in livestock causes abortion, reduction in milk production and death of livestock, and in water resources, it leads to the phenomenon of eutrification - the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus- and then the situation will result in the death of aquatic animals. Therefor, fast assessment of nitrite is very important for the health and the safety of crops and foodstuffs.”Forough Ghasemi, the head of the research team in the agriculture department of the Agricultural Technology Research Institute of Iran said.
She went on to say that the colorimetric method which is done based on plasmonic nanoparticles, especially gold nanorod, is a suitable method of this kind due to its favorable chemical and optical properties, adding, “The sensor designed in this invention works based on the interaction of plasmonic nanosensor and nitrite, which allows qualitative and quantitative assessment of nitrite ion in the form of color and spectrum changes. In this invention, gold nanoparticles with a rod-shaped structure are used as a detector element and oxidation of nanoparticles is used as a sensing mechanism.”
According to the website of the Iranian National Nano Headquarters, Ghasemi also said that assessing ammonia is costly because ammoniac testing is done by using enzyme-based kits, adding, “Monitoring the amount of ammonia dissolved in water, which is a limiting factor for the growth and production of fish, will have an important effect on increasing aquaculture production.”
She concluded that the colorimetric kit they have designed cost much less than enzyme-based kits, saying that it will be handed over to “Caspian Sea Research Institute in Ecology” so that its effectiveness in controlling ammonia in the water of sturgeon breeding ponds is carefully evaluated and confirmed.
4155/i
