Conophthorin from Almond Host Plant and Fungal Spores and Its Ecological Relation to Navel Orangeworm: a Natural Products Chemist’s Perspective

The navel orangeworm (<em>Amyelois transitella</em>) is a major insect pest that brings about significant monetary damage to California tree nuts – almonds, pistachios, and walnuts. During their development, larvae of navel orangeworm feed upon the meat of these nuts causing physical damage and ultimately lowering kernel quality. Moreover, the larvae have been purported to vector aflatoxigenic fungi into the food product and thus...