THE mould that gave us the first antibiotic could also give us new pesticides
and fungicides.
A team led by 脕ngel Cant铆n at the Technical University of Valencia in
Spain isolated organic compounds known as pyrroles from a culture of
Penicillium. After working out their structures, they created synthetic
versions of the compounds, which they tested for useful properties.
As the team will report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food
Chemistry, two of the pyrroles acted as effective insecticides, while three
others killed a wide range of fungi. Cant铆n hopes these products could
lead to a new generation of pesticides.
