Chemical composition, phytotoxic and antifungal activities of Pinus pinea essential oil

Abstract

The chemical composition of essential oils isolated by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of Tunisian Pinus pinea Linn. was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Sixty-six compounds were identified, representing 98.5% of total oil, which was found to be rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons (73.1%) particularly limonene (54.1%), a-pinene (7.7%), and b-pinene (3.4%). The yield and the physico-chemical properties were determined. Results of the antifungal activity study by in vitro contact assay showed that P. pinea oil significantly inhibited the growth of ten plant pathogenic fungi. Moreover, herbicidal properties of the oil, tested on Sinapis arvensis L., Lolium rigidum Gaud., and Raphanus raphanistrum L., indicated that the oil completely inhibited the seed germination at a high concentration, while at low doses the oil acted by decreasing and delaying the germination and inhibiting the seedling growth of all tested weeds unlike the commercial herbicide. Our results showed that P. pinea essential oil could be valorized as bioproduct for biocontrol of weeds and fungal plant diseases.

Investigation on chemical composition and optimization of essential oil obtainment from waste Pinus taeda L. using hydrodistillation

“…(Table 3) According to Pagula and Baeckström (2006) the main fraction of the essential oils from pine species is monoterpene hydrocarbons (α-pinene, camphene, β-pinene, δ-3-carene, β-myrcene, limonene and β-phellandrene), which is in agreement with published results. Researches with Pinus species show that the main components of the oils are monoterpenes, mainly the hydrocarbon type, composing 60-70% of the oil, followed by oxygenated monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes oxygenated and hydrocarbons (Amri et al 2012;Stevanovic et al 2005;Petrakis et al 2001). Oxygenated monoterpenes were also detected (1.23% in 2011 and 2.83% in 2012) in P. taeda.…”

“…However, further studies are required to determine the applicability, cost, safety and toxicity of these bioproducts. The composition of the essential oil of P. halepensis (Dob et al 2005) and P. pinea (Amri et al 2012) showed β-pinene (0.2 and 3.4%), α-pinene (1.2 and 7.7%) and β-myrcene (3.1 and 2.7%), respectively. Only 0.36% of β-phellandrene was detected in P. pinea and not detected in P. halepensis, whereas tricyclene was found in both species in traces.…”

Comparative study of two coniferous species (Pinus pinaster Aiton and Cupressus sempervirens L. var. dupreziana [A. Camus] Silba) essential oils: Chemical composition and biological activity

“…It also has smaller cones that are only 1.5 to 2.5 cm long (Krüssmann, 1985). The present study is the continuation of our previous studies on the possible herbicidal and antifungal activity of essential oils from species belonging to the Pinaceae and Cupressaceae families (Amri et al, 2011a;2011b;2012a;2012b). The first aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition of Pinus pinaster and Cupressus sempervirens var.…”

“…Therefore, screening plant essential oils and plant extracts for their biological activity could lead to the discovery of new pest control agents (Isman, 2000;Amri et al, 2012a;2012b). In the literature, several essential oils have shown herbicidal and antifungal activities (Amri et al, 2011a;2011b;2012a;2012b). Furthermore, activities of their individual compounds have been shown (De Martino et al, 2010).…”

“…Natural pest and disease control, either directly or indirectly, use plantderived secondary metabolites, which play an important role in plant resistance to pests. Therefore, screening plant essential oils and plant extracts for their biological activity could lead to the discovery of new pest control agents (Isman, 2000;Amri et al, 2012a;2012b). In the literature, several essential oils have shown herbicidal and antifungal activities (Amri et al, 2011a;2011b;2012a;2012b).…”