Abstract
Vetiver, a nonhost grass for certain nematodes, was studied for the production of compounds active against the southern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita . In laboratory assays studying the effects on second-stage juvenile (J2) activity and viability, crude vetiver root and shoot extracts were nematotoxic, resulting in 40% to 70% J2 mortality, and were also repellent to J2. Vetiver oil did not exhibit activity against J2 in these assays. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses of three crude vetiver root ethanol extracts and a commercial vetiver oil determined that two of the major components in each sample were the sesquiterpene acid 3,3,8,8-tetramethyltricyclo[5.1.0.0(2,4)]oct-5-ene-5-propanoic acid and the sesquiterpene alcohol 6-isopropenyl-4,8a-dimethyl-1,2,3,5,6,7,8,8a-octahydronaphthalen-2-ol. The acid was present in higher amounts in the extracts than in the oil. These studies demonstrating nematotoxicity and repellency of vetiver-derived compounds to M. incognita suggest that plant chemistry plays a role in the nonhost status of vetiver to root-knot nematodes, and that the chemical constituents of vetiver may be useful for suppressing nematode populations in the soil.
Highlights
Vetiver-derived compounds have been investigated for pest and pathogen management
These studies demonstrating nematotoxicity and repellency of vetiver-derived compounds to M. incognita suggest that plant chemistry plays a role in the nonhost status of vetiver to root-knot nematodes, and that the chemical constituents of vetiver may be useful for suppressing nematode populations in the soil
Deregistration of many synthetic nematicides has led to a need for new management agents for these plant pathogens, and the large number of compounds produced by vetiver, activity against numerous organisms, and the nonhost status to RKN all indicate that further research on vetiver activity against nematodes is warranted
Summary
Vetiver-derived compounds have been investigated for pest and pathogen management. Vetiver root exudates reduced motility of M. javanica J2, but the nematodes recovered after being removed from the treatments (Ahuja et al, 2014) This indicated nematostatic, rather than nematotoxic, activity of the exudates. These authors noted that crude extracts from vetiver roots decreased M. javanica J2 motility, but they did not report on J2 recovery. These studies with RKN did not find nematotoxic activity from vetiver constituents, the results must be considered with the knowledge that there has been little published work in this area, and that research on plant-derived compounds is affected by a complex web of factors. The current study was conducted to determine the effects of vetiver oil and of crude vetiver root and shoot extracts on activity and viability of M. incognita J2 in laboratory assays, and to investigate whether the oil or selected extracts would attract or repel J2
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