Far Eastern scientists plan to develop new herbicides

Scientists of the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) and the G.B. Elyakov Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry together with German colleagues spotted six new and three already known biologically active compounds in a new strain of the fungus Penicillium piltunense first time isolated. One compound has a pronounced anti-inflammatory activity, others have herbicidal potential, i.e., possibly, can become components of new chemicals for weed control.

The spotted compound are the derivatives of aspterric acid that has herbicidal activity. It has a mediocre ability to inhibit plant growth, but its analogues promise to be more effective.

“We believe that the compounds isolated could potentially have herbicidal activity since they are the analogues of aspterric acid. We have not yet been able to check how strongly these properties are expressed in the substances found, but we plan to find it out further. It is worth noting that the new herbicidal compounds have not been introduced onto the market for about 30 years,” said Olesya Zhuravleva, Head of the Laboratory of Biologically Active Compounds at FEFU.