Bacillus-Mediated Silver Nanoparticle Synthesis and Its Antagonistic Activity against Bacterial and Fungal Pathogens

In this article, the supernatant of the soil-borne pathogen <i>Bacillus</i> mn14 was used as the catalyst for the synthesis of AgNPs. The antibacterial and antifungal activity of Bs-AgNPs was evaluated, in which <i>S. viridans</i> and <i>R. solani</i> showed susceptibility at 70 µL and 100 µL concentrations. Enzyme properties of the isolates, according to minimal inhibitory action and a growth-enhancing hormone-indole acetic acid (IAA) study of the isolates, were expressed in TLC as a purple color with an Rf value of 0.7. UV/Vis spectroscopy revealed the presence of small-sized AgNPs, with a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak at 450 nm. The particle size analyzer identified the average diameter of the particles as 40.2 nm. The X-ray diffraction study confirmed the crystalline nature and face-centered cubic type of the silver nanoparticle. Scanning electron microscopy characterized the globular, small, round shape of the silver nanoparticle. AFM revealed the two-dimensional topology of the silver nanoparticle with a characteristic size ranging around 50 nm. Confocal microscopy showed the cell-wall disruption of <i>S. viridans</i> treated with Bs-AgNPs. High-content screening and compound microscopy revealed the destruction of mycelia of <i>R. solani</i> after exposure to Bs-AgNPs. Furthermore, the Bs-AgNPs cured sheath blight disease by reducing lesion length and enhancing root and shoot length in <i>Oryza sativa</i> seeds. This soil-borne pathogen <i>Bacillus</i>-mediated synthesis approach of AgNPs appears to be cost-efficient, ecofriendly, and farmer-friendly, representing an easy way of providing valuable nutritious edibles in the future.