"It's not just about the bees, it's about the survival of humanity," says Professor Thomas Brück, who heads the Werner Siemens Chair of Synthetic Biotechnology at TU Munich. "Without the bees that pollinate a wide variety of plants, not only would our supermarket shelves be quite bare, but within a short time, it would no longer be possible to supply the world's population with food."
Synthetically produced insecticides endanger not only bees but also beetles, butterflies and grasshoppers. They affect biodiversity in soils, lakes, rivers and seas. Their use has consequently been highly controversial for many years.
Repelling instead of poisoning Brück and his team have now found an alternative insect repellent that is biodegradable and ecologically harmless. Sprayed on plants, it works much like mosquito repellent used by bathers in the summer, spreading a smell that keeps away unwanted insects.
Bacteria as chemical factories The Munich researchers were inspired by the tobacco plant, which produces cembratrienol (CBTol) in its leaves. The plant uses this molecule to protect itself from pests.
Initial investigations indicate that the CBTol spray is non-toxic to insects, yet still protects against aphids. Since it is biodegradable, it does not accumulate.
Publication Wolfgang Mischko, Max Hirte, Simon Roehrer, Hannes Engelhardt, Norbert Mehlmer, Mirjana Minceva and Thomas Brück
Modular Biomanufacturing for a Sustainable Production of Terpenoid-based Insect Deterrents Green chemistry, May 14, 2018 – DOI: 10.1039/C8GC00434J
Source:
www.tum.de/nc/en/about-tum/news/press-releases/detail/article/34679/