Investigating the wettability of neem oil nanoemulsion as a green pesticide on leaf surfaces - optimizing formulation, assessing stability, and enhancing wettability.

ABSTRACT: The present study focuses on formulating a stable green oil-in-water nanoemulsion (NE) formulation for pesticide application, thereby addressing the primary challenges of botanical pesticides by improving the stability, efficacy, and wettability of leaf surfaces. Neem oil and rhamnolipid biosurfactant were utilized as the base oil and surfactant, respectively for the NE formulation. Initial screening studies with varying oil-to-surfactant ratios identified an optimal ratio of 7.13 (w/w), corresponding to 15% oil (v/v) of total emulsion volume, for a stable NE. The stability of the formulation was validated in a 25 mL volume over 20 days, maintaining a mean droplet diameter of 139.1 ± 7.34 nm and a polydispersity index of 0.207. Further stability assessments under varying time, temperature,

SUBMITTER: Chopra J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11923737 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature