Chemical Basis for Greenbug Resistance in Small Grains: II. Identification of the Major Neutral Metabolite of Benzyl Alcohol in Barley.

((14)C)Benzyl alcohol was administered either by uptake through the roots or by injection directly into the stems of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em Thell), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor. L Moench) and two strains of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). One strain of barley was susceptible to the greenbug (Schizaphis granium Rondani), and the other was greenbug-resistant. In all four plants, several radioactive metabolites were formed. The major neutral metabolite has been identified as benzyl-beta-d-glucopyranoside. This glucoside was found to have no biological activity against the greenbug under conditions in which the parent compound, benzyl alcohol, inhibits the reproduction of this insect pest.