Foliar volatiles and essential oils produced by apple mint [Mentha rotundifolia auct. non (L.) Huds.], a widely distributed Mediterranean species, were investigated for their phytotoxic activities on seed germination and/or root growth of the sensitive test species Lactuca sativa and four of the most common weeds largely found in several agro-ecosystems (Amaranthus retroflexus, Chenopodium album, Echinochloa crusgalli and Eleusine indica). The results pointed out that foliar volatiles (VOCs) were characterized by a high inhibitory effect on both germination and root growth of lettuce. Moreover, apple mint essential oils, extracted from fresh material through steam distillation, were characterized by a high phytotoxicity on weeds germination and root growth. The chemical characterization of the essential oils, carried out through GC-MS, highlighted that monoterpenes were the main chemicals followed by sesquiterpenes. Interestingly, the most abundant compounds were α-pinene, β-pinene and limonene, which are largely known to be strong phytotoxic allelochemicals.

Phytoxic activity and GC-MS chemical characterization of apple mint foliar volatiles and essential oils / Araniti, F.; Zumbo, A.; Abenavoli, M. R.. - In: JOURNAL OF ALLELOCHEMICAL INTERACTIONS. - ISSN 2312-8666. - 4:1(2018), pp. 23-31.

Phytoxic activity and GC-MS chemical characterization of apple mint foliar volatiles and essential oils

Araniti F.;Abenavoli M. R.
2018-01-01

Abstract

Foliar volatiles and essential oils produced by apple mint [Mentha rotundifolia auct. non (L.) Huds.], a widely distributed Mediterranean species, were investigated for their phytotoxic activities on seed germination and/or root growth of the sensitive test species Lactuca sativa and four of the most common weeds largely found in several agro-ecosystems (Amaranthus retroflexus, Chenopodium album, Echinochloa crusgalli and Eleusine indica). The results pointed out that foliar volatiles (VOCs) were characterized by a high inhibitory effect on both germination and root growth of lettuce. Moreover, apple mint essential oils, extracted from fresh material through steam distillation, were characterized by a high phytotoxicity on weeds germination and root growth. The chemical characterization of the essential oils, carried out through GC-MS, highlighted that monoterpenes were the main chemicals followed by sesquiterpenes. Interestingly, the most abundant compounds were α-pinene, β-pinene and limonene, which are largely known to be strong phytotoxic allelochemicals.
2018
Apple mint, phytotoxicity, essential oils, terpenes, volatile organic compounds, root growth, seed germination, weeds
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12318/3032
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