New invention: Natural compound that repels insects

To limit environmental pollution, people protect crops by using insect repellents. A new natural compound found by Japanese scientists proved to be very effective in this method.

Researchers at Tottori University (Japan) have found a natural compound capable of repelling bugs, harming rice and fruit-growing farms in Japan and the United States. That's 3- (4-metylffuran-3-y) propan-1-ol in the parasitic fungus on the dendritic grass, protecting this grass against harmful diseases and insects. At low concentrations, this compound is twice as effective as a mothball (naphtalen), which is the usual repellent.

In 2005, damage caused by stink bugs to rice in Tohuku region (Japan) amounted to 3 billion yen (equivalent to 40 million USD), seriously affecting the lives of farmers. Currently, to eliminate stink bugs, they still use pesticides such as neonicotinoit, phosphorus compounds, but the use of synthetic agrochemicals often affects the environment. Therefore, people often use drugs to attract animals (attract insects to focus on one place to kill) or repellent to eliminate harmful insects.

However, natural compounds are difficult to produce in large quantities, so chemists have analyzed the formula and are looking for ways to synthesize in the laboratory to obtain cheaper products, greater yields and perhaps It takes 2-3 years to get to the market.