Natural plant defences could cut pesticides in biofuel composition

The consideration of biofuel composition may not be limited only to the ingredients that go into the finished fuels; for some people, the chemicals used in the growth of the crops used may also be a concern.

Now scientists at Virginia Tech, Georg-August-University Goettingen and Michigan State University have identified a natural defence mechanism that could cut the use of pesticides from real-terms biofuel composition and other agricultural processes.

The P450 enzyme CYP82G1 is present not just in plants, but also in animals, where it triggers the oxidation process of organic compounds.

In plants, however, it is also a defence mechanism as, when insects attack, the P450 enzyme releases chemicals that attract predators and enemies to oppose the invading bugs.

Further research into the mechanism could ultimately lead to all-natural methods of artificially defending crops against attack.

Virginia Tech was originally founded as the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1872.