On the bioherbicide potential of Ulex europaeus and Cytisus scoparius: Profiles of volatile organic compounds and their phytotoxic effects

PLoS One. 2018 Oct 29;13(10):e0205997. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205997. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

The phytotoxic potential of the legume shrubs Ulex europaeus L. (gorse) and Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link. (Scotch broom) is studied in this work for the first time. On the basis of their richness in active principles, the previous evidence of biological activity, and the abundance of biomass in their native range and invaded areas, a question arose: can U. europaeus and C. scoparius be considered as potential sources of natural herbicides for sustainable agriculture? By means of volatile bioassays, the flowering fresh plant material of both shrub species was shown to produce and emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) able to inhibit the germination and/or early growth of two agricultural weeds: Amaranthus retroflexus and Digitaria sanguinalis. Novel complete VOCs profiles from the volatile extracts of the shrub species were obtained by GC and GC/MS. A total of 20 compounds were identified from U. europaeus flowering biomass, theaspirane and eugenol, among others, being described in gorse for the first instance. The chemical profile of C. scoparius yielded 28 compounds and was rich in oxygenated monoterpenes such as terpinen-4-ol, verbenol, α-terpineol, and verbenone, which were also identified in this species for the first time. Using dose-response bioassays with pure compounds, these VOCs were argued to be involved in the phytotoxicity observed for the plant materials, even at very low concentrations. The phytotoxic effects were predominantly irreversible, particularly for D. sanguinalis, since the seeds exposed to the VOCs produced damaged seedlings, were unable to recover germination capacity after removing the phytotoxin or, when recovered, produced unviable seedlings. Our results extend the interest of the abundant U. europaeus and C. scoparius for the obtention of natural products with bioherbicide potential, or to be used as allelopathic biomass in the development of new sustainable agricultural practices.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amaranthus / drug effects
  • Amaranthus / growth & development
  • Biological Assay
  • Biomass
  • Cytisus / chemistry*
  • Digitaria / drug effects
  • Digitaria / growth & development
  • Flowers / chemistry
  • Germination / drug effects
  • Herbicides / toxicity*
  • Pest Control, Biological*
  • Plant Weeds / drug effects
  • Plant Weeds / growth & development
  • Regression Analysis
  • Ulex / chemistry*
  • Volatile Organic Compounds / toxicity*

Substances

  • Herbicides
  • Volatile Organic Compounds

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (http://www.mineco.gob.es/; BIOINPUT (CGL2016-78660-R)) (NP). This research has been developed in the frame of the ‘Agri-Food Research and Transfer Centre of the Water Campus (CITACA) at the University of Vigo (Spain), which is economically supported by the Galician Government. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.