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Review
. 2008 Feb 12;363(1491):623-37.
doi: 10.1098/rstb.2007.2174.

Role of modern chemistry in sustainable arable crop protection

Keith Smith  1 , David A Evans, Gamal A El-Hiti
Affiliations
Review

Role of modern chemistry in sustainable arable crop protection

Keith Smith et al. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. .

Abstract

Organic chemistry has been, and for the foreseeable future will remain, vitally important for crop protection. Control of fungal pathogens, insect pests and weeds is crucial to enhanced food provision. As world population continues to grow, it is timely to assess the current situation, anticipate future challenges and consider how new chemistry may help meet those challenges. In future, agriculture will increasingly be expected to provide not only food and feed, but also crops for conversion into renewable fuels and chemical feedstocks. This will further increase the demand for higher crop yields per unit area, requiring chemicals used in crop production to be even more sophisticated. In order to contribute to programmes of integrated crop management, there is a requirement for chemicals to display high specificity, demonstrate benign environmental and toxicological profiles, and be biodegradable. It will also be necessary to improve production of those chemicals, because waste generated by the production process mitigates the overall benefit. Three aspects are considered in this review: advances in the discovery process for new molecules for sustainable crop protection, including tests for environmental and toxicological properties as well as biological activity; advances in synthetic chemistry that may offer efficient and environmentally benign manufacturing processes for modern crop protection chemicals; and issues related to energy use and production through agriculture.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Intensity of agricultural production 1965–2000.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Land area devoted to four GM crops 1996–2004.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Development of resistance to crop protection chemicals over time.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Chemical structure of azoxystrobin (1).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Chemical structures of some natural insecticides.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Chemical structures of some natural and synthetic pyrethroids.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Chemical structures of some strobilurin analogues.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Chemical structures of some strobilurin fungicides.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Oxidation of 1-phenylethanol with chromium trioxide in the presence of sulphuric acid.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Oxidation of 1-phenylethanol with oxygen in the presence of a catalyst.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Chemical structures of some ortho-cresol derivatives.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Chemical structures of mesotrione, toluene and methyl para-tolyl sulphone.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Simple metathesis reaction.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Chemical structure of (+)-8-epi-xanthatin.
Figure 15
Figure 15
Chemical structures of ILs.
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References

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    1. Anastas P.T, Warner J.C. Oxford University Press; New York, NY: 1998. Green chemistry: theory and practice.
    1. Ashford R.D. Wavelength Publication; London, UK: 1994. Ashford's dictionary of industrial chemicals.
    1. Atkin J, Leisinger K.M, editors. Safe and effective use of crop protection chemicals in developing countries. CABI Publishing; Wallingford, UK: 2000. pp. 1–14.
    1. Bartlett D.W, Clough J.M, Godwin J.R, Hall A.A, Hamer M, Parr-Dobrzanski B. The strobilurin fungicides. Pest Manage. Sci. 2002;58:649–662. doi:10.1002/ps.520 - DOI - PubMed

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