The application of triggered release pesticides can provide active ingredient release at required environmental conditions, reduce environmental problems, and toxicity to nontarget organisms. In this work, a novel prodrug that responds to water and enzymes as release triggers for thiabendazole was prepared. The release behaviors under different conditions, bioactivity against Penicillium italicum, and acute toxicity to Danio rerio of prodrugs were investigated. The results showed that the prodrug had remarkable water- and enzyme-triggered release properties, and the correlation coefficients (r 2) fitted by the Weibull model were all >0.99. Meanwhile, the prodrug showed improved antifungal efficacy against Penicillium italicum and reduced toxicity to Danio rerio. Overall, the prodrug developed offers an efficient way to triggered release pesticides, control fungal, and reduce the risk of harm to aquatic organisms.
© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.