Scientists report developing a new type of "green" fungicide they say could offer a safer, more environmentally friendly alternative to such agents.

Conceived with sustainable agriculture in mind, new fungicides called "paldoxins" would continue to do the work of conventional options - but in a way less threatening to other life forms and the environment.

The researchers explain most fungicides today are made from chemicals that can kill potentially beneficial organisms and have other adverse environmental effects.

Paldoxins are more selective - stopping fungi that cause plant diseases without harming other organisms. They work in a unique way - disrupting a key chemical that fungi use to break down a plant's normal defenses.

As a result, plants boost natural defenses and overcome fungal attack without harm to humans, animals and the environment, the scientists say. They also point to a renewable-energy component to their work. They say their fungicide would help protect corn, wheat and other crops increasingly being used to produce biofuels.