Barbara G. Isaac

Microorganisms: A Remarkable Source of Diverse Chemical Structures for Herbicide Discovery

The success of any high throughput chemical screening program is largely dependent upon the quality and structural diversity of the compounds tested. The exceptional biosynthetic capabilities of microorganisms suggest that the search for novel microbial metabolites possessing activity against plant diseases, insects, and weeds could be a particularly valuable addition to a classical synthetic chemical screen.1 This approach has been validated by the commercial introduction of weed control products based upon the streptomycete metabolite phosphinothricylalanylalanine2 and by the introduction of insect control products based upon the streptomycete metabolite avermectin.3