Non-Toxic Tobacco Insect Repellent

Jun-11-18 An innovative insect repellant derived from tobacco could offer an eco-friendly alternative to toxic pesticides.

The organic repellant was created by a team from the Technical University of Munich, who were inspired by the tobacco plant’s production of cembratrienol (CBTol), which repels bugs with its odor. The researchers isolated the genomes that produce CBTol and incorporated them into E. coli bacteria, which were then fed wheat bran to produce the chemical. The bacteria-made CBTol can be safely sprayed directly onto crops, where it will repel bugs while also killing dangerous gram-positive bacteria such as the pneumonia pathogen.

Image credit: W. Mischko / TUM - If aphids have the choice between wheat seedlings with (right) and without CBT-ol treatment (left), they avoid the treated seedlings.

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[TUM.DE]

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