Design, synthesis and agricultural evaluation of derivatives of N-Acyl-N-(m-fluoro-benzyl)-6-amino-coumarin

ABTRACTThis study aims to design and synthesize a series of N-Acyl-N-(m-fluoro- benzyl)-6- amino-coumarins through the principle of active substructure stitching, which are based on the core structure of N-(m-fluoro-benzyl)-6-amino-coumarin. The structures of target compounds e1-e25 have been characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, ESI-MS and elemental analysis. Meanwhile, their agricultural activity have been evaluated in two weeds (Amaranth and Crabgrass) and four widespread noxious pathogens (V.mali, B.cinerea, F.axysporium and C.bacteria). The herbicidal activity results showed that almost all synthetic molecules have a greater impact on the stem system than on the root. Excellent inhibition rates were discovered from compounds e2-e5 and e20-e23 against Amaranth on stems, which were above 58%(20 mg/L), 68%(100 mg/L) respectively. Compounds e2 and e21 also exhibited striking inhibition on stems growth of both weeds. Anti-pathogenic activity showed that all the compounds exerted a better inhibitory activity on B.cinerea at 20 ppm compared to control carbendazim. All the heterocyclic substituted compounds (e17-e24, >57%) made a better influence than the control (54.1%) at the100 ppm. This research provides promising herbicidal and anti-pathogenic agents that have the better effects and can be potential for further development.

Design, Synthesis, and Herbicidal Activity of Novel Diphenyl Ether Derivatives Containing Fast Degrading Tetrahydrophthalimide

To seek new protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) inhibitors with better biological activity, a series of novel diphenyl ether derivatives containing tetrahydrophthalimide were designed based on the principle of substructure splicing and bioisomerization. PPO inhibition experiments exhibited that 6c is the most potential compound, with the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value of 0.00667 mg/L, showing 7 times higher activity than Oxyfluorfen (IC₅₀ = 0.0426 mg/L) against maize PPO and similar herbicidal activities to Oxyfluorfen in weeding experiments in greenhouses and field weeding experiments. In view of the inspected bioactivities, the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of this series of compounds was also discussed. Crop selection experiments demonstrate that compound 6c is safe for soybeans, maize, rice, peanuts, and cotton at a dose of 300 g ai/ha. Accumulation analysis experiments showed that the accumulation of 6c in some crops (soybeans, peanuts, and cotton) was significantly lower than Oxyfluorfen. Current work suggests that compound 6c may be developed as a new herbicide candidate in fields.