Synthesis and biological activity of a novel fungicide, flutianil

Flutianil was discovered as a novel fungicide chemically characterized as a cyano-methylene thiazolidine. This chemical showed particularly high fungicidal activities against powdery mildew on various crops. Optimization of the fungicidal performance of the series of synthesized chemicals finally led to the identification of flutianil, which could control powdery mildew diseases. In this report, details of the structure–activity relationships from the lead compound to flutianil are described.