Application of the CuGA Bio‐MOF in Solanum tuberosum : An Eco‐Friendly Antiviral Strategy for Management of Potato virus Y (PVY)

Globally, disease management in crops and yield improvement are crucial to fulfill the food requirements of the increasing world population. Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as promising nanomaterials for crop disease management due to their high surface area, tunable porosity, and ability to encapsulate bioactive molecules. Potato is a crucial crop and is greatly affected by Potato virus Y (PVY). This study was designed to use biosynthesized and characterized CuGA MOFs to manage Potato Virus Y (PVY) disease. Different concentrations (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 ppm) of CuGA bio‐MOFs were applied to potato to evaluate their phytotoxicity. Foliar application of CuGA bio‐MOF at 50 ppm performed best against PVY disease. However, using CuGA bio‐MOF also statistically significantly reduced infection by 60% as compared to the infected control. Moreover, CuGA bio‐MOFs enhanced morphological, physiological, enzymatic, nonenzymatic antioxidative, and yield attributes by 33.4%, 33.3%, 40.7%, 49.5%, and 55%, respectively, compared to the infected control. While CuGA bio‐MOF treatment resulted in the lowest disease incidence among all treatments, it is more environmentally friendly than pesticides. It is concluded that MOFs could be employed in future studies to manage PVY diseases in potato.