Title : New compounds and their application as innovative approach to plant protection against pathogens
Abstract:
Crop protection in modern agricultural industry is still a field that requires new and more efficient methods, which can improve quantity and quality of crops due to exposure of plants to factors such as fungi, bacteria and insects. Excessive consumption of Plant Protection Products, especially fungicides and, related to it, negative impact on human health and environment (through for example phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) of bees) is becoming an increasing problem that requires a comprehensive and effective solutions. Since 1990 popularity of room temperature quaternary ammonium salts (major class of ionic liquids) is still raising, due to the fact that both ions in ionic liquid can be independently modified and thus properties of ions may separately be incorporated into the final IL salt. In recent years, dual functional ionic liquids with biological functions started to be investigated in fields of plant protection products as herbicidal and antifungal agents or inducers of plant resistance. In addition, ionic liquids containing long alkyl chains have a significant effect on the change of hydrophilic properties, which makes it possible to limit their mobility in soil and groundwater. Furthermore, long alkyl chain ILs guarantee significant surface activity, which in turn intensifies wettability of the plant surface and enables direct contact between used plant protection product and pathogens on the plant. This could eliminate the need to use additional compounds such as surfactants or adjuvants. Herein, we present new, active dual functional ionic liquids based on currently used fungicidal agents or plant resistance inducers with modified properties of solubility in water, dissolution rate, reduced phytotoxicity, antifungal activity (tests against fungus that infects cereal crop and many types of fruits and vegetables such as: Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium sp), antibacterial activity and antiviral activity on tobacco, tomatoes and potatoes. These new ionic liquids can revolutionize agrochemical industry through reducing negative impact of pesticides on human health and environment. This work was supported by the National Science Centre (Poland), project Preludium no UMO-2015/19/N/NZ9/02922. Moreover, Rafal Kukawka is Adam Mickiewicz University Foundation scholarship holder in the academic year 2017/2018.
