Theses and Dissertations Collection

Development of alternative pest control methods is a pressing issue as more species of pests develop resistance to synthetic pesticides and public demand for organically grown produce increases. Our research is focused on development of biopesticides from plant glycosides such as glucosinolates found in the family Brassicaceae and glycoalkaloids found in the genus Solanum. To achieve this goal, we use bioassay-guided methods for extraction and isolation of biologically active compounds from plant material. We then fractionate and analyze plant extracts with the highest pesticidal activity using chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The use of time of flight mass spectrometry allows for the accurate mass assignment and in silico compound identification. For example, we have identified several glycoside hydrolysis products in Brassica juncea and Solanum sisymbriifolium that exhibit nematicidal activity. We have also demonstrated that at least two different compounds are responsible for herbicidal activity of Sinapis alba towards three model weeds. Finally, we designed a bioprocessing pilot plant for efficient and cost-effective production of biopesticide formulations.