Abstract
Ferulago campestris is an aromatic plant, distributed in Mediterranean Europe, and a source of essential oils (EOs) regarded as promising alternatives to synthetic herbicides and pesticides. F. campestris EO, hydrodistilled and analyzed, was tested for its antigerminative activity and for its effect on radicle elongation, hydrogen peroxide concentration, and lipid peroxidation on four infesting weed species (Papaver rhoeas, Taraxacum campylodes, Poa annua, and Setaria verticillata) and on Phaseolus vulgaris. Its repellent ability was also tested against Acanthoscelides obtectus, a pest commonly affecting P. vulgaris during storage. Moreover, a chitosan coating layer was developed with the addition of F. campestris EO and tested for its toxic and oviposition-deterring effects against A. obtectus. Myrcene, α-pinene, and γ-terpinene were detected as the main compounds in F. campestris EO. The EO demonstrated a selective in vitro antigerminative activity towards the weed species, without affecting the bean seeds. Moreover, the chitosan coating layer exerted a dose-dependent repellent effect against A. obtectus adults, thus effectively protecting the bean seeds, while preserving their germinative ability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on a chitosan–EO coating proposed with the aim of protecting bean seeds for sowing from insect attack.
Highlights
Aerial parts, and fruits are sources of essential oil (EO), whose chemical composition and biological activities have been studied by several authors; a hepato-protective effect, as well as activity on osteoblast metabolism, and antioxidant and antimicrobial properties have been reported for these essential oils (EOs) [3,4,5,6,7]
Forty-nine volatile components were identified in the EO obtained from F. campestris ripe fruits, corresponding to 99.4% of its total composition (Table 1)
The germination tests performed in the present study showed that the CH and chitosan–essential oil solution (CH–EO)
Summary
The aim of the seed coating that contains an insecticide is to limit damage from insects both in storage facilities on the bean seeds and later, in the field, on the new crop. The widespread practice of using insecticides such as neonicotinoids for coating the seeds has led to serious problems, such as those reported for years in the depopulation of bees [19]. In this scenario, there is a growing interest for alternative eco-friendly control substances to be used in coating seeds. To produce an EO-based coating, one of the most promising natural substances is chitosan (CH), a nontoxic, edible copolymer derived by deacetylation of chitin and consisting of β-(1,4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranosyl and β-(1,4)-2-amino-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranosyl units [20]
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