Abstract
THE fungicides captan (N-(trichloromethylthio)tetra-hydrophthalimide) and phaltan (N-(trichloromethylthio)-phthalimide) are about equally toxic to Alternaria tennis Nees and Neurospora crassa Shear and Dodge1, but differ in toxicity to powdery mildews. Captan, for example, fails to control apple mildew (Podosphaera leucotricha (Ell. and Everh.) Salm.), but phaltan has been reported2,3 to be effective against rose mildew (Sphaerotheca pannosa (Fr.) Jaczew.). This difference in effect is surprising because both fungicides contain the —SCCl3 group which is generally considered to be responsible for the toxicity of captan1, and the —CO.NX.CO— grouping which has also been suggested as a toxophore4. Powdery mildew spores have a high lipid content5 and phaltan is more fat-soluble than captan1. The greater toxicity of phaltan to powdery mildews may therefore be due to easier penetration into the spores.
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RICHMOND, D., SOMERS, E. & ZARACOVITIS, C. Toxicity of Captan Analogues to Oat Powdery Mildew. Nature 204, 1329–1330 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1038/2041329a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2041329a0
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