Environment ministry announces patent filing for antifungal compound

The environment ministry said that an affiliated institute had filed a patent application for Lobatoside C, a natural compound it identified as suppressing fungi that cause crop diseases.

The ministry said crop diseases caused by pathogenic fungi reduce agricultural yields and quality and cause substantial economic losses every year. Health concerns over synthetic fungicides and the emergence of resistant fungal strains after long-term use have increased interest in eco-friendly alternatives, it said.

Since 2022, the Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources has searched for freshwater plant-derived antifungal substances that can suppress a range of crop pathogens. It isolated and identified Lobatoside C from extracts of ttukkeongdeonggul, a freshwater plant native to Korea.

Researchers found that Lobatoside C had broad-spectrum antifungal activity, curbing the growth of rice blast fungus and fungi that cause damping-off and red mold disease. A study of rice blast fungus showed it blocked spore germination and formation of appressoria, structures pathogenic fungi form to break through a host plant's outer surface. The institute filed the application on the 10th of this month for an antifungal composition using Lobatoside C against plant-infecting fungi. It said identifying the active compound, rather than only demonstrating an extract's efficacy, could provide a basis for developing and commercializing eco-friendly fungicides.

"This research shows the potential to apply useful natural substances found in native biological resources as eco-friendly control technology to protect the agricultural environment," Jeong Yu-jin, director of the institute's Utilization Technology Development Division, said. "We will continue to expand research on the sustainable use of biological resources based on natural substances."