THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ORGANOSULFUR COMPOUNDS IN CROP PROTECTION: CURRENT EXAMPLES FROM FUNGICIDE RESEARCH

Approximately 30% of today's agrochemicals contain at least one sulfur atom. This review article highlights the most important reasons for the fundamental role of sulfur functions in crop protection, such as the occurrence of sulfur in agrochemical pharmacophores, the application of sulfur-containing natural products as lead compounds, the role of sulfur in procidal action, fine-tuning of physico-chemical properties and patent breaking as well as the advantage of sulfur-containing heterocycles compared to their nonsulfur ring isosteres. Case studies from three different mode of action classes give proof, how state-of-the-art organosulfur chemistry enables the synthesis and influences the structure-activity relationships of fungicidally active compounds in the classes of Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors, tubulin polymerization inhibitors and Cellulose synthase inhibitors.