ScienceDaily (June 26, 2005) — A newly introduced class of insecticidal compounds developed by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and cooperators offers safe and effective alternatives to conventional chemical insecticides.

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.

ARS entomologist Gary J. Puterka, working with industry cooperators, developed synthetic analogs, or look-alikes, of the natural sugar esters. He and colleagues then screened various synthetic sugar esters to find the most potent among them. While working at the ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, W.Va., Puterka identified several of the new chemical forms that kill test insects instantly.

Puterka has been named a co-inventor on two patents that define the chemical structures of the compounds, as well as an environmentally sound process for their manufacture. One of the compounds, sorbitol octanoate, has proved less costly to produce than earlier forms patented, and is now undergoing the process of registration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The analogs kill by breaking down the insect pests' outer waxy coating. Then the insects lose water and die from dehydration. The new class of compounds is unique among insecticides because their active ingredients do not leave a detrimental residue on surfaces to which they are applied. What's left over after application becomes inactive upon drying and rapidly degrades.

The latest synthetic sugar esters, if licensed, could be a boon to the home and garden market, according to Puterka. Licensing information with the ARS Office of Technology Transfer can be found on the World Wide Web at:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/business/docs.htm?docid=768.

ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief in-house scientific research agency.

In time, synthetic insecticides from sugar esters will likely be commercialized and may be valuable for insecticidal use on flowers and ornamentals in the greenhouse, field, or nursery. (Photo by Scott Bauer)

Related Stories

Insecticides Or Genetically Modified Crops? Non-Target Insects Affected More By Insecticides Than By Crops Engineered To Make Insect-specific Toxins (Dec. 11, 2008) — Non-target insects are probably affected more by conventional insecticides than by crops that contain genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), according to a new article. Bt crops ...  > read more

Researchers Discover Sex Potion To Ensnare Mealybug Pests (Apr. 25, 2005) — Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have found a way to entice male pink hibiscus mealybugs (PHMs) to congregate. That leaves the pesky insects--which attack more than 200 species of ...  > read more

Oregano Oil Works As Well As Synthetic Insecticides To Tackle Common Beetle Pest (May 23, 2008) — New research in the Society of Chemical Industry's Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture shows that oregano oil works as well as synthetic insecticides to combat infestation by a common ...  > read more

Farming On Propane (Nov. 27, 2005) — The sight of propane gas tanks on farms may become even more common in the years ahead, thanks to the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Agricultural Research Service ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Natural Pest Control