Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01N—PRESERVATION OF BODIES OF HUMANS OR ANIMALS OR PLANTS OR PARTS THEREOF; BIOCIDES, e.g. AS DISINFECTANTS, AS PESTICIDES OR AS HERBICIDES; PEST REPELLANTS OR ATTRACTANTS; PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS
  • A01N41/00—Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing organic compounds containing a sulfur atom bound to a hetero atom
  • A01N41/02—Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing organic compounds containing a sulfur atom bound to a hetero atom containing a sulfur-to-oxygen double bond
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01N—PRESERVATION OF BODIES OF HUMANS OR ANIMALS OR PLANTS OR PARTS THEREOF; BIOCIDES, e.g. AS DISINFECTANTS, AS PESTICIDES OR AS HERBICIDES; PEST REPELLANTS OR ATTRACTANTS; PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS
  • A01N65/00—Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing material from algae, lichens, bryophyta, multi-cellular fungi or plants, or extracts thereof
  • A01N65/40—Liliopsida [monocotyledons]
  • A01N65/42—Aloeaceae [Aloe family] or Liliaceae [Lily family], e.g. aloe, veratrum, onion, garlic or chives

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the field of agriculture and, more particularly, to a method for sterilization of soil in limited areas using allicin.
• the allicin is administered to the soil prior to seeding or planting and protects the plants against pathogenic organisms.
• methyl bromide a broad spectrum pesticide used in the control of pest insects, nematodes, weeds, pathogens, and rodents (Katan, 1999) .
• methyl bromide a broad spectrum pesticide used in the control of pest insects, nematodes, weeds, pathogens, and rodents.
• about 21,000 tons of methyl bromide are used annually in agriculture, primarily for soil fumigation (85%), as well as for commodity and quarantine treatment (10%), and structural fumigation (5%) .
• Globally, about 72,000 tons are used each year.
• Methyl bromide a colorless and odorless gas at normal temperatures and pressures, is a toxic material and affects the target pests as well as non-target organisms. When used as a soil fumigant, it dissipates rapidly to the atmosphere and is very dangerous at the actual fumigation site.
• Human exposure to, particularly inhalation of, methyl bromide can cause dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, mental confusion, tremors, convulsions, pulmonary edema, coma as well severe deleterious actions on the lungs, eyes, and skin. Chronic exposure to methyl bromide can result in central nervous system depression, respiratory system failure, and kidney injury.
• methyl bromide is known as a major source of atmospheric bromine radicals which destroy the stratospheric ozone layer. Due to this well documented hazard and damages induced by methyl bromide, there has been considerable concern against the use of this pesticide and it will be banned from use in the year 2005.
• the present invention relates to the use of allicin (thio-2-propene-l-sulfinic acid S-allyl ester) for sterilization of soil prior to seeding and planting.
• allicin can be used in a method for protecting plants against contamination by plant pathogens such as fungi, bacteria, protozoa and soil nematodes, which method comprises seeding or planting the plants in soil that was previously treated with allicin.
• the method is particularly useful for use in greenhouses .
• Fig. 1 is a graph depicting the development of diseased bean plants growing in soil preinfected by Rhizoctonia solani that was pre-treated with different amounts of allicin under greenhouse conditions prior to seeding of the bean plants: A - 0.31 mg /ml; B - 0.62 mg/ml; C - 0.94 mg/ml; D - 1.25 mg/ml allicin. Results are expressed as % of diseased bean plants. First cycle (black columns): 14 days after planting; second cycle (gray columns) : 14 days after replanting bean plants as described in Example 2 herein. [0009] Fig. 2 is a graph depicting the same experiment as in Fig. 1 but wherein the results are expressed as % of reduction of diseased bean plants.
• Fig. 3 is a photograph of the basal stem of diseased bean plants at the end of the first cycle (two weeks after seeding) according to experiment as in Fig. 1 showing the effect of the different concentrations of allicin.
• the brown spots are the location of the disease.
• Allicin one of the biologically active molecules that is rapidly generated upon crushing of garlic cloves, has been shown to have potent wide range antimicrobial effects at low concentrations (Lawson, 1998) and is here presented as an alternative to the use of methyl bromide.
• Allicin thio-2-propene-l-sulfinic acid S-allyl ester
• allicin presents remarkable antibiotic activity including antibacterial activity against a wide range of Gram- negative and Gram-positive, aerobic and anaerobic, bacteria, as well as antifungal, antiprotozoal, antiviral, antiparasitic and insecticidal activities (Amer et al, 1980; A onkar et al, 1971; Amonkar et al, 1970; Appleton et al, 1975; Barone et al, 1977; Fromtling et al, 1978; Mirel an et al . , 1987; et al, 1977; Tansey et al, 1975] .
• Allicin is a very labile and volatile compound when exposed to air and many of the methods known today for its preparation are not satisfactory.
• the chemical synthesis involves many steps and is complicated, laborious, expensive, and very inefficient.
• the enzymatic method seems to be more attractive; however, alliinase is a so-called "suicidal enzyme" that is rapidly and irreversibly inactivated by its own reaction product, allicin. Therefore, a few minutes incubation of alliinase with the substrate alliin or its product, allicin, leads to a biologically inactive enzyme after one or a very limited number of cycles. This problem has been solved recently by the present inventors through the procedure described in International PCT Publication No.
• allicin may be used to disinfect soil prior to seeding or planting of plants, thus enabling the improved, disease-free growth of certain high value plants, and being a good candidate to replace methyl bromide in its agricultural use.
• the present invention thus provides, in one aspect, a method for sterilization of soil against plant pathogens which comprises administering to the soil an effective amount of allicin prior to seeding and planting.
• the plant pathogen may be any of the plant pathogenic fungi, bacteria and protozoa.
• allicin can also inactivate soil nematodes (small worms) .
• allicin is used to protect plants against plant pathogenic fungi such as, but not being limited to, fungi of the genera Sclerotinia, Fusari um, Rhizoctonia, Scleroti um rolfsii and Trichoderma that attack mushroom.
• allicin may be used against fungus of the genera Rhizoctonia such as Rhizoctonia solani .
• Allicin can be administered to the soil in any suitable manner, preferably by irrigation. Its use is more suitable to limited areas and, more particularly, in greenhouses .
• plants are protected against contamination by plant pathogens when the soil is treated with allicin prior to seeding or planting. Preferably, the plants should be seeded or planted about 8 days after treatment of the soil with allicin.
• the accepted rule of thumb for soil surface sterilization or fumigation is that administration of the fumigant or sterilant is calculated to treat the soil to a depth of 10-12 cm. Since the specific gravity of soil is about 1.5 g/cc, there is about 150-200 kg of soil in a square meter.
• the preferred amount of allicin is about 15-100 mg/kg soil, or 2.25-20 g/m 2 of soil surface area. Preferably, the amount is greater than 60 mg/kg soil. This amount is preferably included in the irrigation water. While a preferred practical maximum is given, it should be understood that there is no theoretical maximum as allicin is a non-toxic plant product.

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• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Zoology (AREA)
• Agronomy & Crop Science (AREA)
• Plant Pathology (AREA)
• Dentistry (AREA)
• Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
• Natural Medicines & Medicinal Plants (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Biotechnology (AREA)
• Microbiology (AREA)
• Mycology (AREA)
• Pest Control & Pesticides (AREA)
• Agricultural Chemicals And Associated Chemicals (AREA)

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• 2001
  • 2001-01-17 IL IL14094801A patent/IL140948A0/xx unknown
• 2002
  • 2002-01-17 CA CA 2434153 patent/CA2434153A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-01-17 AU AU2002234255A patent/AU2002234255A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-01-17 EP EP02701057A patent/EP1357791A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2002-01-17 WO PCT/US2002/001204 patent/WO2002056683A2/en not_active Application Discontinuation

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