While lavender has long been known for its strong scent and soothing oils, a UBC researcher is exploring the plant鈥檚 ability to create natural pesticides.
Soheil Mahmoud, an associate professor of biology at UBCO, conducts research on organic compounds found in plants鈥攕pecifically lavender. While the plant鈥檚 oils are said to have a healing, or soothing benefit, Mahmoud said lavender has much more to offer.
鈥淟avender has proven to be very good at protecting itself through production of antimicrobial and anti-fungal biochemical compounds,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ne of our goals is to identify molecules that are involved in this natural self-defence.鈥�
Using a research field at UBCO, Mahmoud and his team of students are attempting to identify, characterized and clone the specific genes that control the defensive properties of lavender. If this is indeed possible, Mahmoud suggests this may have significant environmental implications, according to UBCO.
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Lavenders produce essential oils, he said, and these consist mainly of organic compounds, including an antimicrobial and insecticidal monoterpene named 3-carene. In the latest research, students Ayelign Adal, Lukman Sarker and Ashley Lemke isolated and examined the gene and corresponding enzyme that catalyzes the formation of 3-carene in lavenders.
Traditionally, chemical herbicides or pesticides have been used to control fungal growth or pests like insects. But Mahmoud says this method is becoming less and less desirable as many of the pests and fungi have become resilient to the chemicals used, and as consumers prefer food that is untreated or treated with 鈥渘atural鈥� pesticides.
鈥淲e鈥檝e become much more health conscious,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are healthier options instead of spraying chemicals on plants; we just need to explore these. Aromatic plants like lavenders could provide suitable alternatives to chemical鈥揵ased insecticides鈥�
Mahmoud鈥檚 research was recently published in the journal and was supported through grants and/or in-kind contributions by Genome British Columbia, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the BC Ministry of Agriculture.
