Mimicking natural deterrent strategies in plants using adhesive spheres.

ABSTRACT: With a continuous increase in world population and food production, chemical pesticide use is growing accordingly, yet unsustainably. As chemical pesticides are harmful to the environment and developmental resistance in pests is increasing, a sustainable and effective pesticide alternative is needed. Inspired by nature, we mimic one defense strategy of plants, glandular trichomes, to shift away from using chemical pesticides by moving toward a physical immobilization strategy via adhesive particles. Through controlled oxidation of a biobased starting material, triglyceride oils, an adhesive material is created while monitoring the reactive intermediates. After being milled into particles, nanoindentation shows these particles to be adhesive even at low contact forces. A suspension of parti

SUBMITTER: van Zwieten R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11127000 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature