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| New natural insecticide from sugar esters | |
A newly introduced class of insecticidal compounds developed by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The active ingredients are based on sugar esters that are natural chemicals secreted by wild tobacco plants to protect themselves against insect predators. When certain insects rub up against and chew on the plants' leaf hairs, the insects become contaminated with the compound and die. The compounds offer safe and effective alternatives to conventional chemical insecticides. Synthetic analogs of the natural sugar esters have been developed and they are being screened to find the most potent among them. One of the compounds, Sorbitol octanoate, has proved less costly to produce than earlier patented forms and is now undergoing the process of registration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. For Licensing information with the ARS see Office of Technology Transfer The synthesized compound kills by breaking down the outer waxy coating of insects that then loose water and die from dehydration. The new class of compounds is unique among insecticides because the active ingredients do not leave any detrimental residue on the surfaces to which they are applied. What remains after application becomes inactive upon drying and rapidly degrades. The latest synthetic sugar esters, if licensed, could also be ideal for the home and garden market. For further information contact www.ars.usda.org or see June 2005 edition of the ARS publication “Agricultural Research”. |
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