On July 23, Lou Mingshu, a master's student at Guizhou University's National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, published a research paper as the first author in the top-tier journal Engineering (Impact Factor: 10.1), with Academician Song Bao’an as the corresponding author. The paper, titled "Pesticide Engineering from Natural Vanillin: Recent Advances and a Perspective," provides the first comprehensive review of the innovative conversion of vanillin into agricultural chemicals. It explores the design, synthesis, mode of action, and biosafety of vanillin derivatives and offers insights into potential future developments.

Vanillin, first extracted from vanilla in 1858, is a widely used natural food additive with a broad range of applications. Its abundant availability and low cost make it an ideal candidate for green pesticide development. Despite its popularity in the food and medical industries, vanillin's potential for agricultural use has only recently been explored, showing significant promise.

The paper highlights vanillin’s simple molecular structure, which includes two highly reactive functional groups (Figure 1), allowing for easy modification and optimization. Since the authors' initial creation of the vanillin-derived antiviral agent "vanillic thiosulfonate," interest in vanillin’s potential for pesticide design has grown. The study discusses several successful examples of vanillin derivatives that have been enhanced for bioactivity and expanded to target a wider range of agricultural pests (Figure 2).

Figure 1. Vanillin structure and its modifiable components

Figure 2. Successful cases of vanillin-derived pesticide molecules

The paper also examines the mode of action of vanillin-derived pesticides against plant viruses, safety evaluations, and their potential as insecticides and herbicides (Figure 3). Research indicates that these derivatives may serve as novel plant immune inducers, enhancing plant resistance to viral infections and disrupting viral processes such as replication and movement. Safety assessments suggest that vanillin-based pesticides are easily degradable and pose minimal risk to humans, animals, and non-target species.

Figure 3. Study on the antiviral mechanism and safety evaluation of vanillin derivatives

In conclusion, the paper provides a detailed review of recent advances in the design, synthesis, bioactivity testing, and safety evaluation of vanillin-based pesticides. It offers valuable insights for researchers in the fields of pesticide development and plant protection, with the expectation that natural vanillin derivatives will contribute to the development of green, sustainable agricultural solutions.

The first author Lou Mingshu is a second-year master's student at Guizhou University. He has previously won the grand prize in the 18th "Challenge Cup" National College Students' Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Works Competition and received an academic scholarship during his first year of graduate studies. This research was supported by a key project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Editor: Pang Aizhong

Chief Editor: Zhang Chan

Senior Editor: Li Xufeng

Translator: Xiao Qi