Rational design, synthesis and binding mechanisms of novel benzyl geranate derivatives as potential eco‐friendly aphid repellents

Abstract

BACKGROUNDThe push‐pull strategy is considered as a promising eco‐friendly method for pest management. Plant volatile organic compounds (PVOCs) act as semiochemicals constitute the key factor in implementing this strategy. Benzyl alcohol and geraniol, as functional PVOCs, were reported to regulate insect behavior, showing the potential application in pest control. Using geraniol as lead, a geraniol derivative 5i with fine repellent activity was discovered in our previous work. In order to explore novel, eco‐friendly aphid control agents, a series of benzyl geranate derivatives was designed and synthesized using 5i as the lead and benzyl alcohol as the active fragment.RESULTSBenzyl alcohol was firstly evaluated to have repellent activity to Acyrthosiphon pisum. Based on this repellent fragment, a series of novel benzyl geranate derivatives was rationally designed and synthesized using a scaffold‐hopping strategy. Among them, compound T9, with a binding affinity (Kd: 0.43 μM) and a substantial repellency of 64.7% against A. pisum, is the most promising compound. Molecule docking showed that hydrophobic and hydrogen‐bonding interactions substantially influenced the binding affinity of compounds with ApisOBP9. Additionally, T9 exhibited low‐toxicity to honeybees and ladybugs.CONCLUSIONUsing a simple scaffold‐hopping strategy combined with active fragment benzyl alcohol, a new derivative T9, with high aphid‐repellent and low‐toxicity to non‐target organisms, can be considered as a novel potential eco‐friendly aphid control agent for sustainable agriculture.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Synergism of (E)-β-farnesene and Its Analogue to Insecticides against the Green Peach Aphid Myzus persicae

“…viciae, Sitobion avenae, and A. pisum, among others. − As a salicylate-substituted carboxyl EβF analogue, 3e exhibited higher stability than EβF and displayed significant aphid-repellent activity, albeit lower than that of EβF . This trend is not unique to 3e but has been observed with other types of EβF analogues, as well.…”

“…persicae and A. pisum when compared to EβF. ,− Interestingly, higher concentrations of EβF and 3e did not necessarily result in a higher repellent activity. In our study, although both compounds repelled significantly more aphids to the control arm at increasing concentrations, EβF exhibited the best repellency proportion at the low concentration of 0.5 μg/μL, while the highest repellency proportions for 3e were observed at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.5 μg/μL.…”