The foliage and stems of plant species from the family Rosaceae, genus Prunus, yield natural pesticides when macerated. Hydrodistillation of macerated plant biomass yields a concentrated solution of organic volatile compounds that act synergistically as a natural pesticide. Volatile compounds liberated from Prunus biomass include 2-propanol, hexanal, trans-2-hexenal, 1-hexanol, cis-3-hexenol, mandelonitrile, benzoic acid, benzaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, hydrocyanic acid and others. These compounds may be removed from the distillate and reformulated to form a standard concentrated solution, with benzaldehyde, mandelonitrile and hydrogen cyanide being the major components. The extracts may be used as a soil treatment or soil fumigant for soil-borne pests. They also may be formulated for application as solutions with or without a surfactant or formulated as powders for foliar treatment. In a particular application, such extracts may be applied to postharvest commodities such as fruits, vegetables, roots, grains and nuts to protect against certain fungi and insects.
                            蔷薇科梅属植物的叶子和茎经浸渍后可产生天然
杀虫剂。对浸渍过的植物
生物质进行
水蒸馏,可得到一种有机挥发性化合物的浓缩溶液,这种溶液具有天然
杀虫剂的协同作用。从梅花
生物质中释放出的挥发性化合物包括 2-
丙醇、
己醛、反式-
2-己烯醛、
1-己醇、顺式-
3-己烯醇、
扁桃腈、
苯甲酸、
苯甲醛、
苯甲醇、
氢氰酸等。这些化合物可以从蒸馏液中去除,并重新配制成标准浓缩溶液,其中
苯甲醛、
扁桃腈和
氰化氢是主要成分。萃取物可用作土壤处理剂或土壤
熏蒸剂,用于防治土壤中的害虫。它们还可以配制成溶液(含或不含表面活性剂),或配制成粉末用于叶面处理。在一种特殊的应用中,这种
提取物可用于收获后的商品,如
水果、蔬菜、根茎、谷物和坚果,以防止某些真菌和昆虫。