Cyanogenic Glycosides and the Fate of Cyanide in Soil (Report‪)‬

Introduction Cyanogenic glucosides (CNglcs), the precursor of cyanide in many plants, arthropods and some bacteria are amino acid-derived [beta]-glycosides of [alpha]-hydroxynitriles. They are widely distributed in more than 1000 species of food plants (notably cassava, peas, beans, and kernels of almonds) (Cade and Rubira, 1982 and Eisler, 1991). Generally, the level of cyanogenic glycosides produced is dependent upon the age and the variety of the plant, as well as environmental factors (Cooper-Driver and Swain, 1976, Woodhead and Bernays, 1977). More than 60 different CNglcs are known to be present in more than 2,500 plant species including ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms (Bak et al., 2006, Moller and Seigler, 1998 and Poulton, 1990) and it is not uncommon to find cyanogenic and acyanogenic plants within the same species, where the function of cyanogenesis is revealed through their phenoltypic characteristics (Francisco and Pinotti, 2000).