Plant-Derived Biopesticides
The picture below depicts a sorghum plant. The red coloration is due to upregulated flavonoid compounds.
Traditional pesticides are an important part of an Integrated Pest Management program. However, there is an increasing demand for alternatives using biologically friendly options. Flavonoids are a group of naturally occurring plant pigment compounds that have been previously shown to control pest caterpillars in agricultural systems. Previously, Surinder Chopra's lab investigated the effect of these upregulated flavonoid compounds on mushroom pathogens and mushroom yield. These compounds reduced mushroom pathogen infection rates while having no effect on mushroom yield. Here we explore the potential to use flavonoids that have been upregulated from maize and sorghum to control mushroom flies.
This work was done in collaboration with Dr. Surinder Chopra's lab. Click below to learn more:
Extracts from sorghum plants with upregulated flavonoid content were prepared at three different concentrations. Exposure arenas were sprayed with a flavonoid extract and allowed to dry in a fume hood for 24 hours.
Flies were exposed to flavonoid extracts for 1 minute in the exposure arenas, and transferred to release cages where mortality was observed immediately, 1 hour, and 24 hours post exposure. While laboratory tests are ongoing, initial results suggest these flavonoid compounds may have the potential to control mushroom fly populations.
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