Tricolorin A as a natural herbicide

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2013-01, Vol.18 (1), p.778-788
• Main Authors: Lotina-Hennsen, Blas, King-Díaz, Beatriz, Pereda-Miranda, Rogelio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Allelopathy; Biomass; germination; Germination - drug effects; Glycosides - pharmacology; Herbicides; Herbicides - pharmacology; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Lolium - drug effects; Lolium - growth & development; Lolium - metabolism; Lolium mutliflorum; Natural products; Paraquat - pharmacology; photosynthesis; Photosynthesis - drug effects; Physalis ixocarpa; Plant growth; Plant Weeds - drug effects; Plant Weeds - growth & development; Plant Weeds - metabolism; post-emergence-herbicide; pre-emergence herbicide; Respiration; seed respiration; Seedlings - drug effects; Seedlings - growth & development; Seedlings - metabolism; Seeds; Seeds - drug effects; Seeds - growth & development; Seeds - metabolism; Solanaceae - drug effects; Solanaceae - growth & development; Solanaceae - metabolism; Trifolium - drug effects; Trifolium - growth & development; Trifolium - metabolism; Trifolium alexandrinum; Triticum - drug effects; Triticum - growth & development; Triticum - metabolism; Triticum vulgare; Weed Control; Weeds
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules18010778

Tricolorin A acts as pre- and post-emergence plant growth inhibitor. In pre-emergence it displays broad-spectrum weed control, inhibiting germination of both monocotyledonous (Lolium mutliflorum and Triticum vulgare) and dicotyledonous (Physalis ixocarpa and Trifolium alexandrinum) seeds, being the dicotyledonous seeds the most inhibited. Tricolorin A also inhibited seedling growth, and seed respiration, and since the concentrations required for inhibiting both germination and respiration were similar, we suggest that respiration is one of its targets. Tricolorin A at 60 µM acts as a post- emergence plant growth inhibitor by reducing dry plant biomass by 62%, 37%, 33%, and 22% for L. multiflorum, T. alexandrinum, T. vulgare, and P. ixocarpa, respectively, 18 days after its application. In order to determine the potency of tricolorin A as a plant growth inhibitor, paraquat was used as control; the results indicate that tricolorin A acts as a non-selective post-emergence plant growth inhibitor similar to paraquat, since both reduced the biomass production in P. ixocarpa and T. alexandrinum. Therefore, we suggest that tricolorin A will be a good biodegradable herbicide for weeds.