Chemical composition and herbicidal action of essential oil from Tagetes erecta L. leaves
Introduction
Weeds are considered a serious enemy of crop production, interfering with crop functions and suppressing their growth and development. Yield reduction by weeds is usually more than the losses caused by disease, pests, and insects (Jabran et al., 2015). In recent decades, weed plants have mostly been eliminated by applying synthetic herbicides; however, the use of synthetic herbicides has begun to be questioned because of their toxicity to animals, plants, human health, and the environment (Ben El Hadj et al., 2015; Kleinowski et al., 2016; Jalaei et al., 2015). Furthermore, weeds are becoming resistant to synthetic herbicides. Therefore, new herbicides with various modes of action are necessary for crop production today and in the future. New biochemical herbicides can be developed based on phytotoxins, natural compounds resulting from structural diversity and evolved biological activities (Dayan and Duke, 2014). The use of biochemical herbicides is a promising, economically and environmentally sustainable alternative.
Allelopathy is an important competitive strategy of plants and a mechanism of plant interference mediated by the production of bioactive secondary metabolites from chemical interactions among plants and other organisms (Kleinowski et al., 2016). These metabolites are known as allelochemicals and can have beneficial or detrimental effects on target organisms and the community (Jabran et al., 2015). Using eco-friendly natural products (allelochemicals) to manage weeds and crop diseases for improving crop productivity and environmental protection has gained attention among researchers (Chon et al., 2005). This has resulted in an increasing quest and demand for natural products such as essential oils (EOs) in order to decrease dependency on synthetic herbicides (Bhadoria, 2011; Jalaei et al., 2015). Essential oils are hydrophobic liquids containing volatile aromatic compounds which are generally extracted from plants by distillation. The EOs are considered of great importance due to their biological properties, such as antioxidant, anticancer, or antimicrobial capacity (Abd El-Gawad, 2016). In particular, the allelopathic activity of several EOs has been attributed to the presence of flavonoids, glycosides, tannins, volatile oils, saponins (Singh and Singh, 2003), sesquiterpenes (Abd El-Gawad, 2016), limonene, limonene-10-al (Jalaei et al., 2015), ocimenones, and spathulenol (López et al., 2008). Nowadays, some commercial oils such as limonene and caryophyllene oxide are frequently associated with high herbicidal effects (Dias et al., 2009). An advantage of EO-based herbicides is that the compounds are volatile and do not remain on the product after harvest. Moreover, application of an EO-based herbicide could simultaneously decrease insect problems by repelling them.
The marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) belongs to the Asteraceae family and is a species of the genus Tagetes native to Mexico. It is an herbaceous, aromatic plant usually used as ornamentals, in the cut-flower trade, and as an additive to poultry feed to improve skin, fat, and egg yolk pigmentation (Asrar and Elhindi, 2011). The marigold is well-known as one of the most important natural resources for healthy food due to containing high quantities of lutein, which is used as a coloring agent (Pratheesh et al., 2009). Marigolds are also used in many different fields of organic agriculture (Priyanka et al., 2013), but especially in the culture of vegetables, due to their bactericidal, fungicidal, insecticidal, and herbicidal properties (Dasgupta et al., 2012; Santos et al., 2015). The EO of this species has been verified to contain a substantial number of bioactive compounds such as α-terthienyl, phenylheptatriyne, thiophenes, alkaloids, polyacetylenes, fatty acids, flavonoids, limonene, ocimene, valeric acid, and terpenes (Dasgupta et al., 2012; Singh et al., 2016; Xu et al., 2011; Regaswamy and Koilpillai, 2014).
The aim of the present study was to identify the composition of essential oil from T. erecta leaves and to test its herbicidal activity on barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli). The results from this study support further application of the EO from this plant as a valuable product in the natural herbicidal industry.
Section snippets
Plant materials and extraction of essential oils
Tagetes erecta L. were grown in the experimental field at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, Thailand. Fresh, mature, healthy leaves were collected 45 days after planting and essential oil (EO) was extracted by the boiling hydrodistillation method in a Clevenger-type apparatus for 4 h. The EOs were recovered from directly above the distillate without adding any solvent and then dehydrated over anhydrous sodium sulfate. The EOs produced were kept at 4 °C in sterile,
Identification of the chemical composition of essential oil from T. erecta leaves
Hydro-distillation of fresh T. erecta leaves gave a yellowish essential oil (yield of 0.72 mg.kg−1 fresh weight). The quantitative and qualitative analytical results of identified compounds by GC and GC–MS are presented in Table 1. Twenty compounds were identified in the essential oils, constituting 96.50% of the total oil. The EO obtained from T. erecta contained a complex mixture. Monoterpine class molecules were found in relatively higher amounts and consisted mainly of piperitone (17.12%),
Conclusion
According to our results, the EO obtained by hydrodistillation from the leaves of T. erecta was mainly composed of monoterpene and sesquiterpinoid class molecules. This chemical composition correlated with the effectiveness of T. erecta EC-EO herbicidal activities. In a pre-emergence bioassay, T. erecta EC-EO exhibited strong inhibitory effects on seed germination and seedling growth of E. crus-galli due to inhibiting α-amylase activity. In a post-emergence test, foliar-applied EC-EO was also
Acknowledgement
This research was financially supported by the Faculty of Agricultural Technology at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (Grant number 2561-01-04-001).
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