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From
•>>August 2006
Inge S. Fomsgaard answers a
few questions about this month's emerging research front in
the field of Agricultural Sciences.
Agricultural Sciences
Article: Microbial transformation products of benzoxazolinone and benzoxazinone allelochemicals - a review
Authors: Fomsgaard, IS;Mortensen, AG;Carlsen, SCK
Journal: CHEMOSPHERE, 54 (8): 1025-1038, FEB 2004
Addresses:
Danish Inst Agr Sci, Res Ctr Flakkebjerg, Dept Crop Protect, DK-4200 Slagelse, Denmark.
Danish Inst Agr Sci, Res Ctr Flakkebjerg, Dept Crop Protect, DK-4200 Slagelse, Denmark.
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Why do you think your paper is
highly cited?
Metabolomics is the study of all the naturally occurring
small molecules. Until now, metabolomic studies mostly have
been performed in biological tissues, such as cells and
biofluids. Studies of metabolites in soil are scarce—in
spite of the fact that soil forms the basis for agricultural
production.
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“The fate of pesticides in the environment was my main research area during previous decades.”
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The interaction between two successive crops, between crops
and weeds and also between crops and soil-borne diseases,
happens in the soil. Research into the microbial
transformation of naturally occurring small molecules from
agricultural plants is thus highly needed to improve the
understanding of these interactions—often called
allelopathic interactions.
This paper reviews the results of in vitro studies
of the microbial transformation of small molecules originating
from the cereals wheat, rye, and maize. The paper has served
as the basis for a number of recent studies into soil
microbial transformation of biologically active small
molecules from wheat and rye.
Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or
synthesis of knowledge?
The paper synthesizes the results of in vitro
studies of microbial transformation of the most abundant
biologically active benzoxazinoids from rye, wheat, and maize.
The studies were performed with one chemical compound and one
selected species of micro-organism at a time. The overview of
these studies showed that a high number of biologically active
microbial transformation products can be expected to occur in
the soil where a high number of micro-organisms are present.
Could you summarize the significance of your paper in
layman's terms?
Alternative methods for controlling weeds, insects,
pathogens, and other pests have come into focus during the
past few decades. The possible exploitation of allelopathy for
protecting agricultural plants against weeds, insects,
pathogens, and other pests is one of several alternatives to
the use of synthetic pesticides.
Allelopathy can be exploited by either: a) cultivating
crops with allelopathic properties; b) intercropping of crops
and plants with allelopathic properties; c) using allelopathic
plants as green manure; and/or d) applying isolated
allelochemicals as pesticides.
In-depth knowledge of the chemical structure and the
biological activity of microbial transformation products of
small molecules from agricultural crops can improve the
possibilities for exploiting these properties.
How did you become involved in this research, and were
any problems encountered along the way?
The fate of pesticides in the environment was my main
research area during previous decades. Pesticide fate studies
in soil are well developed when it comes to analytical
techniques, measurement of sorption/desorption, description of
kinetics, and identification of soil micro-organisms involved
in the transformation processes.
In the majority of papers dealing with allelopathy,
biological effects were reported but identification of the
active metabolites—often formed through microbial
transformation in soil—was seldom done.
I wished to apply my technical knowledge from the pesticide
research area to allelopathic studies, and I therefore brought
together a group of experts and applied for a project in the
European Commissions 5th Framework programme (FATEALLCHEM
"Fate and Toxicity of Allelochemicals in Relation to
Environment and Consumer").
The results of the project clearly demonstrated the relevance
of optimizing the exploitation of cereal benzoxazinoids and
other biologically active secondary metabolites. We expect
research on microbial transformation in soil of biologically
active small molecules—the area of soil metabolomics—to be a
key issue in future allelopathic research.
Are there any social or political implications for your
research?
By growing cereals as a catch crop or for green manure, the
allelopathic properties of the cereals could be more
extensively exploited by choosing varieties with an optimal
content of the bioactive compounds and optimizing the time of
sowing in relation to the formation of bioactive metabolites
in soil.
A framework for future assessments of allelopathic crops
must include the development of validated analytical methods,
considerations of relevant concentrations of allelochemicals,
soil transformation studies, toxicological studies on
individual compounds and mixtures, efficacy studies on weeds,
insects, pathogens, and other pests and should also include
studies on the mode of action.
Combining the results of such studies with the knowledge of
the biosynthetic pathways of allelochemicals along with
studies on gene expression, could result in substantial gains
for sustainable agriculture.
Inge S. Fomsgaard
Senior Scientist, Ph.D.
Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences
Research Centre Flakkebjerg
Dept. of Integrated Pest Management
Slagelse, Denmark
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