Leoni Federico, Nigro Francesco, Duce Celia, González-Rivera José, Mattonai Marco, Ribechini Erika, Bàrberi Paolo, Carlesi Stefano
Group of Agroecology, Institute of Plant Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Libertà, 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
National Institute of Optics, (INO-CNR)-UOS Pisa, Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
Plants (Basel). 2025 Sep 1;14(17):2717. doi: 10.3390/plants14172717.
Transforming industrial by-products into new resources is a fundamental principle of sustainable agriculture and circular bioeconomy. Waste products from rosemary ( L.) essential oil extraction, such as exhausted biomass and water residues (WRs), are rich in bioactive compounds like phenols and terpenes. These by-products may represent a promising and economically viable option for agricultural management, particularly in weed control. This study evaluates the potential use of WR as a bioherbicide. In vitro experiments were conducted to assess the inhibitory effects of WR on the germination and seedling morphology (root and shoot development) of four detrimental weed species for temperate cropping systems: two monocotyledonous ( and ) and two dicotyledonous ( and ). WR was tested at four concentrations (0, 25, 50, and 100), corresponding to an increasing gradient of WR, with 100 representing pure WR. The results showed that WR did not significantly inhibit germination in , and , whereas exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition, with germination reduced by 37.5%, 64.5%, and 91.6% at doses of 25, 50, and 100, respectively, compared with the control (dose 0). Furthermore, germination delays were observed across all tested species with promising application of WR for regulating weed-crop competitive interactions in the early crop growth stages. Results on the morphological traits of weed seedlings showed that WR application affected root more than shoot growth inhibition. In particular, WR demonstrated a pronounced root inhibitory effect in , , and . In contrast, a dose-dependent increase in root length was observed for (21.41 mm at dose 0 and 25.77 mm, 30.97 mm and 35.96 mm, respectively, at doses 25, 50, and 100). The results of this study highlight the potential application of WR as a sustainable solution to be included in an integrated weed management (IWM) toolbox and underscore their role in promoting the valorization of waste from essential oil production.
将工业副产品转化为新资源是可持续农业和循环生物经济的一项基本原则。迷迭香（Rosmarinus officinalis L.）精油提取产生的废弃物，如耗尽的生物质和水残余物（WRs），富含酚类和萜类等生物活性化合物。这些副产品可能是农业管理中一个有前景且经济可行的选择，特别是在杂草控制方面。本研究评估了WR作为生物除草剂的潜在用途。进行了体外实验，以评估WR对温带种植系统中四种有害杂草种子萌发和幼苗形态（根和芽发育）的抑制作用：两种单子叶植物（野燕麦和看麦娘）和两种双子叶植物（反枝苋和苘麻）。WR在四个浓度（0、25、50和100）下进行测试，对应于WR浓度的递增梯度，100代表纯WR。结果表明，WR对野燕麦、看麦娘和苘麻的种子萌发没有显著抑制作用，而反枝苋表现出剂量依赖性抑制，与对照（0剂量）相比，在25、50和100剂量下，发芽率分别降低了37.5%、64.5%和91.6%。此外，在所有测试物种中都观察到了发芽延迟，这表明WR在调节作物生长早期杂草与作物的竞争相互作用方面具有潜在应用前景。杂草幼苗形态特征的结果表明，WR对根生长的抑制作用大于对芽生长的抑制作用。特别是，WR在野燕麦、看麦娘和反枝苋中表现出明显的根抑制作用。相比之下，苘麻的根长呈现剂量依赖性增加（0剂量时为21.41毫米，25、50和100剂量时分别为25.77毫米、30.97毫米和35.96毫米）。本研究结果突出了WR作为一种可持续解决方案在综合杂草管理（IWM）工具箱中的潜在应用，并强调了它们在促进精油生产废弃物价值提升方面的作用。
