AIMS Trichoderma harzianum strains T22 and T39 are two micro-organisms used as active agents in a variety of commercial biopesticides and biofertilizers and widely applied amongst field and greenhouse crops. The production, isolation, biological and chemical characterization of the main secondary metabolites produced by these strains are investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS Of the three major co...

Karrikins are butenolide compounds released from burning vegetation that stimulate seed germination and enhance seedling photomorphogenesis. Strigolactones are structurally similar plant hormones that regulate shoot and root development, and promote the germination of parasitic weed seeds. In Arabidopsis, the F-box protein MAX2 is required for responses to karrikins and strigolactones, and the ...

Flupyradifurone, a novel butenolide insecticide, selectively targets insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), comparable to structurally different insecticidal chemotypes such as neonicotinoids and sulfoximines. However, flupyradifurone was shown in acute toxicity tests be several orders of magnitude less toxic western honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) than many other insecticides targeti...

Cellulose-derived levoglucosenone (LGO) has been efficiently converted into pure (S)-γ-hydroxymethyl-α,β-butenolide (HBO), a chemical platform suited for the synthesis of drugs, flavors and antiviral agents. This process involves two-steps: a lipase-catalyzed Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of LGO followed by an acid hydrolysis of the reaction mixture to provide pure HBO. Response surface methodology...