Mimicking plant defense strategies to create a sustainable pesticide alternative

Many insects are pests to food crop production which has in turn caused the synthesis and widespread usage of chemical pesticides. While pesticides are crucial to increased quality and yields of crops, they come with many unintended and dangerous consequences such as human poisoning, habitat destruction, reduction in biodiversity, and pollinator reduction including bees. Additionally, invasive insect species continue to develop resistances. The reduction of the societal dependence on harmful pesticides in food production is important. The goal of the study is to develop an alternative made from a biodegradable starting material. This alternative is based on sticky trichomes found in nature, for example on carnivorous and cannabis plants. Specifically, ricebran oil is oxidized and crosslinked to mimic this sticky material. The crosslinked oil is turned into a sprayable dispersion, the deposited onto plants. The sticky particles ultimately prevent insects from foraging on leaves and from spreading viruses between plants.