Summary: A series of synthetic germination stimulants for the plant parasites Striga and Orobanche has been prepared. These compounds, analogues of the natural Striga germination stimulant, strigol (I), (Cook et al., 1966, 1972) cause signiticant germination of Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth. seed at concentrations as low as 10−9 M, and an even greater activity against species of Orobanche has been demonstrated. Initial outdoor box trials of the compounds against Striga asiatica (L.) O. Ktze. in Hyderabad, India, have shown a reduction of up to 65% of the seed after a single treatment of the soil 6 weeks before the planting of the sorghum host.

No abstract

Strigol (I) ist ein Stimulans für das Wachstum von parasitären Unkräutern der Gattung Striga und Orobanche (d. h. wirksam für deren Wachstum im Boden, bevor ein parasitäres Wachstum erfolgen kann, wodurch die Wirtspflanzen geschädigt werden).

Reactions of the oxazolidine (2) and thiazolidine (3) derivatives of 2-mesyloxymethylglyceraldehyde acetonide with oxygen and sulphur anions are described. Whereas oxazolidine formation does not protect the aldehyde function against nucleophilic attack, the thiazolidine group is completely inert to these nucleophiles.

Starting from mannitol diacetonide, a simple, high yield preparation of the title compounds is described.