WHY THE YEW TREE (TAXUS-BACCATA) IS NOT ATTACKED BY INSECTS

In recent years, the yew tree has attracted considerable attention due to the isolation from it of the important antitumour drug Taxol(R). T he fact that-the wood is not attacked by woodworm and its needles are attacked by very few insects has so far neither been examined nor expl oited. Extracts of Taxus baccata have Strong antifeedant activity agai nst storage pests Tribolium confusum, Trogoderma granarium and Sitophi lus granarius. Nine pure compounds were isolated from the extract and very strong antifeedant activity was exhibited by 10-deacetylbaccatin III and 10-deacetylbaccatin V, which most probably are responsible for the activity and the resistance to insects. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.