Herbicidal Activity of Essential Oil from Amyris (Amyris balsamifera)

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The objective of this study was to know the herbicidal activity of the essential oil from amyris (Amyris balsamifera). In a seed bioassay experiment, the amyris essential oil inhibited the growth of rapeseed (Brassica napus) by fifty percent at 8.8 µg g . And in a greenhouse experiment, sorghum, barnyard grass and Indian jointvetch, which was applied in above-ground parts, with the amyris essential oil at 4,000 µg ml -1 showed visual injuries of 90, 70, and 70, respectively (0, no damage; 100, total damage). However, soil application of the essential oil did not show such herbicidal injuries. In a field experiment, foliar application of the amyris essential oil at 5% controlled effectively weeds such as barnyardgrass, shepherd's purse, and clover in 24 hours. Our results indicated that the amyris essential oil had herbicidal activity. To understand the composition of the amyris essential oil, the oil was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectometry with solid-phase micro-extraction apparatus. There were 15 organic chemicals in the oil and the major constituents were calarene, elemol, γ-eudesmol, curcumene, β-sesquiphellandrene, zingiberene, selina-3,7(11)-diene, 1,3-diisopropenyl-6-methyl-cyclohexene, β-bisabolene, and β-maaliene. Overall results suggest that the amyris essential oil had a herbicidal activity with fast, contact, and non-selective mechanism.

Essential oils and their application in a food model

“…Malik (2019) indicated sabinene 5.7%, α-phelandrene 17.6%, limonene 56%, and elemol 6.3% as the main components of the essential oil C. luzonicum. Silva et al (2012) identified limonene, β-Cymene, β-fellandren, αphellandren and β-pinene as the main components of C. luzonicum essential oil.…”

Herbicidal Activities of Essential Oils from Pine, Nut Pine, Larch and Khingan Fir in Korea

“…(Bainard and Isman, 2006;Kim et al, 2008;Tworkoski, 2002;Yun et al, 2012) Means are based on data from three replicates. a The herbicidal activity was determined by visual injury 7 days after the application of the essential oil.…”