Chilean scientists develop biopesticide based on lupine plants

Date:03-10-2022

Chilean scientists from the Center for Agricultural Nutritional Genomics (CGNA) have developed a natural biopesticide against pests and diseases from lupine.

This new non-chemical alternative will reduce the use of chemical pesticides in agriculture and contribute to the sustainability of the agro-industrial sector.

It is a biopesticide based on specific combinations and concentrations of alkaloid molecules - an organic plant compound - from lupine, which "when formulated and applied to different crops, replicates the natural effect of pest repellence," explained Haroldo Salvo-Garrido, Doctor in Genomics and Scientific Director of the CGNA.

"Although this research is soon to be concluded, the repellent properties of the lupine biopesticide on important pests have already been proven," the expert added.

Other research on aphids in horticultural species and some important bacteria for export fruit will soon be completed.

Likewise, "a semi-industrial processing technology was developed, which allows the process to be brought to a commercial scale, efficiently extracting the alkaloid molecules, so as not to alter their properties," Dr. Salvo-Garrido commented.

According to Mauricio Opazo, PhD in Food Process Engineering from CGNA, it is a technological process that allows all the alkaloids of interest to be extracted.

"It allows its concentration and purification, obtaining an extract with a purity greater than 90%, which makes it optimal for product formulations," Opazo said.

Defense mechanism in the plant

According to Salvo-Garrido, after two years of research, the effect of these molecules against crop pests was tested. These alkaloids in Lupinos luteus are synthesized in the leaves and transported to other organs for storage, such as in the epidermal and subepidermal tissue of leaves, stems, and mainly seeds.

Thus, “they serve the lupine as a defense against pests, microorganisms, pathogens and herbivores, showing a wide range of biological activity. They can inhibit the multiplication of viruses, the proliferation of bacteria and the growth of certain fungi,” the specialist confirmed.

“Developing an industrially scalable extraction technology for these alkaloids, together with determining that these alkaloid molecules, once extracted from lupine and formulated, can present a natural mechanism of repellence to important pests, is crucial to advance in the generation of a new biopesticide of the biochemical type, which are highly demanded globally,” the CGNA scientist said.

"They correspond to the type of green agrochemicals, the central point of sustainable agriculture that makes up 8 of the 17 sustainable development goals scheduled by the United Nations for 2030," the expert added.

Current context

Climate change is generating unexpected conditions in various aspects on the planet. One of the global concerns is food safety and sustainability.

In agriculture, diseases and pests are becoming more severe every day, generating great stress and vulnerability in crops.

Pesticide applications are used to prevent losses, which apart from contributing to global warming, affects sustainability and safety.

These applications of chemical pesticides are critical for the producer since the non-protection of the plantations can generate total losses.

Despite the availability of chemical pesticides, the recurrence and atypical behavior of pests makes timely control unfeasible, requiring new management strategies and inputs in their control process.

Added to this is the resistance that pests are generating to insecticides, making biopesticides an urgent alternative.

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