Natural products as sources of herbicides: current status and future trends

Although natural product‐based discovery strategies have not been as successful for herbicides as for other pesticides or pharmaceuticals, there have been some notable successes. Phosphinothricin, the biosynthetic version of glufosinate, and bialaphos are phytotoxic microbial products that have yiel...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Weed research 2000-02, Vol.40 (1), p.99-111
Main Authors: Duke, S.O, Dayan, F.E, Romagni, J.G, Rimando, A.M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
bilanafos
bioassays
chemical structure
fractionation
glufosinate
herbicidal properties
herbicide discovery
herbicides
identification
literature reviews
mechanism of action
metabolites
natural product
phytotoxicity
phytotoxin
plant pathogens
plants
soil microorganisms
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Although natural product‐based discovery strategies have not been as successful for herbicides as for other pesticides or pharmaceuticals, there have been some notable successes. Phosphinothricin, the biosynthetic version of glufosinate, and bialaphos are phytotoxic microbial products that have yielded commercial herbicides. Cinmethylin, a herbicidal analogue of cineole, has been sold in Europe and Asia. The triketone herbicides are derivatives of the plant‐produced phytotoxin leptospermone. These products represent only a small fraction of commercialized herbicides, but they have each introduced a novel molecular target site for herbicides. Analysis of the literature reveals that phytotoxic natural products act on a large number of unexploited herbicide target sites. The pesticide industry’s natural product discovery efforts have so far concentrated on microbially derived phytotoxins, primarily from non‐pathogenic soil microbes, involving the screening of large numbers of exotic isolates. Plant pathogens usually produce potent phytotoxins, yet they have received relatively little attention. Even less effort has been made to discover plant‐derived phytotoxins. Bioassay‐directed isolation has been the preferred method of discovery after a producing organism is selected. This laborious approach often leads to rediscovery of known compounds. Modern tandem separation/chemical characterization instrumentation can eliminate much of this problem by identification of compounds before they are bioassayed.
ISSN:0043-1737
1365-3180
DOI:10.1046/j.1365-3180.2000.00161.x