The sad fact is that even though bees are essential for pollination of crops, they are also harmed by pesticides used on the same plants. But new discoveries may soon make bee-friendly pesticides cheaper and easier to produce.
Certain plant families, such as citrus and mahogany, naturally produce organic chemicals known as limonoids. These substances help protect plants from pests without harming bees.
One limonoid, called azadirachtin, is already used in both traditional and commercial agriculture as a natural source, fast-acting bee-friendly insecticide. Like other limonoids, it must be extracted directly from the plant that produces it…in limited quantities. not.
But that may be changing, thanks to an international research project.
Scientists at the John Innes Center in England have mapped the genome of Chinaberry (Melia Azedalach) – a member of the mahogany family, used molecular analysis to identify an enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway that plants use to produce azazilon. Meanwhile, colleagues at Stanford University in the United States used the same technique. revealed the enzyme that citrus fruits use to produce another limonoid, yellow dalactone A.
Armed with this knowledge, researchers were able to create genetically engineered Nicotiana benthamiana A plant (related to tobacco) that produces two limonoids in abundance.Treatment of commonly cultivated plants Nicotiana benthamiana It will reportedly produce much higher amounts of riminoids than is currently possible, plus it will be significantly more sustainable.
“Finding the enzymes necessary to make limonoids has opened the door to alternative sources of production of these valuable chemicals,” said John Innes Center, co-first author of the study. Dr Hannah Hodgson said.
The paper was recently published in the journal chemistry.
Source: John Innes Center
