We would like to avoid gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) in the strawberry country. Maybe Keanu Reeves’ namesake can make an effort there.
Keanumycins, a natural product found in the bacterial genus Pseudomonas, have been shown to effectively kill gray mold.
The hope is that the so-called lipopeptides can be used as pesticides in the future.
“The lipopeptides kill so effectively that we named them after Keanu Reeves because he is also extremely lethal in his roles,” said Sebastian Götze of the Leibniz Institute, lead author of the study published in Journal of the American Chemical Societyin a press release.
Gray mold can, among other things, hit strawberries hard. Archive image.
The researchers tested removing the substances from the bacterium in question and smeared the liquid on hydrangea leaves that were exposed to gray mold. It proved effective in stopping mold growth. And since the substances are biodegradable, they should be more environmentally friendly than chemical pesticides.
The researchers also tested keanumycins on the fungus Candida albicans, which occurs naturally on the human body but can lead to infections. Here too, according to the researchers, the substances were effective. Since they also do not appear to be toxic to human cells and are effective against fungi in small doses, they could potentially be used in the pharmaceutical industry, where there are relatively few drugs against fungal infections.