Abstract
The present study assessed the phytotoxic and cytotoxic potential of the essential oil (EO) extracted from aboveground parts of Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry revealed 39 compounds constituting 99.67% of the EO. The EO was rich in monoterpenoids (mostly oxygenated monoterpenes), which accounted for 89.28% of the oil. The major components in EO were monoterpene ketones such as piperitone oxide (53.83%) and piperitenone oxide (11.52%), followed by thymol (5.80%), and (E)-caryophyllene (4.88%). The phytotoxic activities of EO were estimated against Cyperus rotundus, Echinochloa crus-galli, and Oryza sativa (rice) through pre- and post-emergence assays at concentrations ranging from 10 to 250 μg/ml and 0.5–5%, respectively. In pre-emergence assay, the phytotoxic effect of EO was most pronounced on C. rotundus, thereby significantly affecting percent germination, plantlet growth, and chlorophyll content. On the contrary, the impact was comparatively lesser on rice, with ~ 40% germination in response to 250 μg/ml of EO treatment. In the post-emergence assay, the spray treatment of EO caused a loss of chlorophyll and wilting in test plants, and subsequently affected the growth of plants, even leading to death in some cases. The cytotoxic activity of EO (at 2.5–50 μg/ml) was studied in meristem cells in onion (Allium cepa L.) root tips. EO exposure to the onion roots induced various chromosomal aberrations such as chromosomal bridges, c-mitosis, stickiness, vagrant chromosomes, etc., and negatively affected the mitotic index. At 50 μg/ml, EO treatment triggered the complete death of roots. The study concludes that M. longifolia EO has phytotoxic activities due to the mito-depressive effect, along with other physiological effects on target plants. Therefore, EO of M. longifolia could be developed into a novel bioherbicide for sustainable management of weeds in agricultural systems.
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Acknowledgments
NS is thankful to the Panjab University, Chandigarh, India, for financial support in the form of research fellowship. HPS and DRB are thankful to University Grants Commission, India, and Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology, India, for research support.
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DRB and HPS conceived the idea for this study. DRB, RKK, SSY, and HPS designed the study. NS conducted the experiments. NS, HPS, and DRB carried out the analysis. NS wrote first version of manuscript. All authors interpreted results and contributed to the following versions of the manuscript to produce the final manuscript.
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Singh, N., Singh, H.P., Batish, D.R. et al. Chemical characterization, phytotoxic, and cytotoxic activities of essential oil of Mentha longifolia. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 13512–13523 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-07823-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-07823-3