Melissa officinalis L. as a Sprout Suppressor in Solanum tuberosum L. and an Alternative to Synthetic Pesticides

Abstract

The goal of this research was to screen plant essential oils (EOs) as sprout inhibitors or suppressors in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Three controlled environment experiments were conducted to screen 18 EOs and several pure compounds as sprout inhibitors. The EOs were applied using the wicked method on potato cv. Gala in 19 L plastic containers. The results indicated that Melissa officinalis L. EO inhibited sprouting, while Coriandrum sativum L. seed oil and the EO blend of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. and Salvia sclarea L. suppressed sprouting. The EOs of interest were analyzed using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and/or a flame ionization detector (GC-FID); the detailed chemical profiles are provided. The M. officinalis EO was fractionated into seven fractions, and these were tested on minitubers. We identified two fractions (F and A) that suppressed potato sprouting better than the whole oil. The GC-MS-FID analyses of M. officinalis EO fraction A identified myrcene, Z-ocimene, E-ocimene, trans-caryophyllene, and α-humulene as the main constituents, while the main constituents of fraction F were α-terpineol, β-citronellol, and geraniol. The pure isolated compounds, together with the major compound in M. officinalis EO (citral), were tested for sprout suppression on three potato cultivars (Ranger Russet, Terra Rosa, and Dakota TrailBlazer), which revealed that β-citronellol reduced the sprout length and the number of sprouts in all three cultivars, while citral and (+)-α-terpineol reduced the sprout length and the number of sprouts in Ranger Russet relative to the two controls in all three cultivars. Myrcene had a stimulating effect on the number of sprouts in Cv. Terra Rosa. However, none of the pure compounds suppressed sprouting completely or were comparable to the EO of M. officinalis.

Prospects for using pesticides in agriculture

“…The use of peppermint worsened the taste and odor of cooked tubers of all varieties. Similar studies were conducted by Zheljazkov et al [2022] who investigated 18 essential oils and several pure compounds as sprout inhibitors. They showed that lemon balm oil (Melissa officinalis L.) inhibited germination, while oil from the seeds of Coriandrum sativum L. and a mixture of essential oils from Lavandula angustifolia Mill.…”

“…and Salvia sclarea L. suppressed germination. Zheljazkov et al [2022] further tested pure, isolated compounds on cultivars (Ranger Russet, Terra Rosa, and Dakota TrailBlazer), along with the main compound in Melissa officinalis (citral), where they proved that βcitronellol reduced sprout length and sprout count in all strains tested while citral and (+)-α-terpineol reduced sprout length and sprout count in 'Ranger Russet' compared to two potato cultivars controls.…”

Potatoes dormancy release and sprouting commencement: A review on current and future prospects

“…Recent research has shown that effective components of Melissa officinalis EO, including β‐citronellol, citral, (+)‐terpineol, and myrcene, may be utilized to inhibit potato germination (Zheljazkov et al., 2022). Citronella EO repels mosquitoes, inhibits bacteria growth, and purifies the air, and its functional ingredient is also citral.…”