Allelopathy Group, Department of Organic Chemistry, School of Science, Institute of Biomolecules (INBIO), University of Cadiz, C/República Saharaui 7, 11510 Puerto Real, Cadiz, Spain.
Molecules. 2021 Jun 2;26(11):3356. doi: 10.3390/molecules26113356.
In the search of new alternatives for weed control, spices appear as an option with great potential. They are rich in bioactive natural products and edible, which might minimize toxicity hazard. Marjoram ( L.) is an aromatic herb that has been widely employed as a seasoning herb in Mediterranean countries. Although marjoram boasts a plethora of therapeutic properties (painkiller, antibiotic, treatment for intestinal disorders, etc.), the potential for its extracts for weed control is still to be more thoroughly explored. In order to determine their phytotoxic potential, marjoram leaves were subjected to different bioguided extraction processes, using water, ethyl acetate, acetone or methanol. The most active extract (acetone) was sequentially fractionated to identify its most active compounds. This fractionation led to the isolation and identification of 25 compounds that were classified as monoterpenes, diterpenes or flavonoids. Among them, a new compound named majoradiol and several compounds are described in marjoram for the first time. The phytotoxicity of the major compounds to etiolated wheat coleoptiles was compared against that of the commercial herbicide (Logran), with similar or higher activity in some cases. These results confirm the extraordinary potential of the extracts from this edible plant to develop safer and more environmentally friendly herbicides.
在寻找新的杂草控制替代方法时，香料作为一种具有巨大潜力的选择出现了。它们富含生物活性天然产物且可食用，这可能最大限度地降低毒性危害。马郁兰（Lavandula angustifolia Mill.）是一种芳香草本植物，已在许多地中海国家广泛用作调味料。尽管马郁兰具有许多治疗特性（止痛药、抗生素、治疗肠道疾病等），但其提取物作为杂草控制的潜力仍有待更深入地探索。为了确定其植物毒性潜力，将马郁兰叶进行了不同的生物导向提取过程，使用水、乙酸乙酯、丙酮或甲醇。最活跃的提取物（丙酮）被顺序分段，以确定其最活跃的化合物。这种分段导致分离和鉴定出 25 种化合物，它们被分类为单萜、二萜或类黄酮。其中，一种名为 majoradiol 的新化合物和几种在马郁兰中首次描述的化合物。与商业除草剂（Logran）相比，主要化合物对黄化小麦胚芽鞘的植物毒性相似或更高。这些结果证实了这种可食用植物提取物开发更安全、更环保的除草剂的非凡潜力。
