Abstract
Natural herbicides approved in organic agriculture are primarily nonselective burn-down essential oils applied POST. Multiple applications are often required due to their low efficacy. To address this problem, the in vivo herbicidal activity of manuka oil, the essential oil distilled from manuka tree (Leptospermum scopariumJ.R. and G. Forst), was tested on selected broadleaf and grass weeds. While manuka oil exhibited good POST activity when applied in combination with a commercial lemongrass oil–based herbicide, it ultimately demonstrated interesting PRE activity, providing control of large crabgrass seedlings at a rate of 3 L ha−1. Manuka oil and its main active ingredient, leptospermone, were stable in soil for up to 7 d and had half-lives of 18 and 15 d, respectively. The systemic activity of manuka oil addresses many of the current limitations associated with natural herbicides. Additionally, its soil persistence opens up a multitude of new possibilities for the use of manuka oil as a tool for weed management and may be a potential bridge between traditional and organic agriculture.
Highlights
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Natural herbicides approved in organic agriculture are primarily nonselective burn-down essential oils applied POST
In an effort to develop new natural herbicides with superior properties, we recently reported that several natural products including the natural b-triketones present in manuka oil have the same molecular target site as the commercial synthetic
Summary
Individual measurements were taken of each plant’s height with plants from each pot counted and bagged for dry weight determination. Total carotenoids were extracted by homogenizing 5 mg of leaf tissue in 3 ml of 6% (w/v) potassium hydroxide in methanol using a Polytron PT-3100.10 Following centrifugation at 3000 g, the extract was partitioned in 3 ml of diethyl ether : benzene (1 : 9) and 1.5 ml of saturated sodium chloride. The HPLC system used to measure leptospermone extractable from soil was composed of a Waters Corporation system which included a Model 600E pump, a Model 717 autosampler, a Millenium 2010 controller, and a Model 996 photodiode detector equipped with a 3.9 mm by 30 cm Waters mbondapak C18 reversed phase column. The control consisted of double-distilled water with no leptospermone or manuka oil. Analysis of the means was performed using the PROC GLM of the SAS statistical software program and means were separated by Fisher’s LSD Test at a 5 0.05
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