Bioactive compounds
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture
InventorsHenry Yokoyama, Harold W. Gausman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Novel bioactive compounds which when applied to plants in bioregulatory amounts, enhance plant development responses, resulting in enhanced plant properties such as increased total biomass, increased yield, and increased plant quality. Some of the compounds increase the content of taxol and related taxanes in yew plants. One compound, 2-diethylaminoethyl!-2-methylpropylether causes plants treated with the compound to have resistance to chewing insects. The compound 2-diethylaminoethyl!-2-methyl-2-phenylpropylether causes plants treated with the compound to have resistance to sucking insects.
Claims11
A compound selected from the group having the structure ##STR14## wherein R.sub.1 is hydrogen or methyl;
- and (b) an acid addition salt thereof.
A method for enhancing plant growth, comprising applying to a plant a compound selected from the group consisting of:
- ##STR15## wherein R.sub.1 is hydrogen or methyl;
- and (b) an acid addition salt thereof;
- said compound being applied to the plant immediately prior to or at a time when cell differentiation and growth of the plant or flower buds are great, that is, to seeds, to plant seedlings, or to trees during flower bud initiation, bud swell or during a period of exponential vegetative growth, said compound being applied to the plant in an effective bioregulatory amount, this is, an amount sufficient to enhance plant growth but insufficient to inhibit plant growth, said enhancing of plant growth consisting of an increase in total plant biomass and plant constituents selected from the group consisting of protein, lipid, sugar, and essential oil.
A method of causing a plant to become resistant to chewing insects, comprising applying to a plant 2-diethylaminoethyl!-2-methylpropylether or acid addition salt thereof, said compound being applied to the plant in an amount effective to cause the plant to become resistant to chewing insects compared to an untreated plant.
A method of increasing the content of taxol in a yew plant, comprising applying 2-diethylaminoethyl!-2-methylpropylether or an acid addition salt thereof to the yew plant at an early stage of plant development, that is, to the seed, to a plant seedling or plant part, in an amount effective to increase taxol in the plant compared to an untreated yew plant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.