• Weed & Turfgrass Science
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.44-49
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• 2012

The objective of this study was to know the herbicidal activity of the essential oil from amyris (Amyris balsamifera). In a seed bioassay experiment, the amyris essential oil inhibited the growth of rapeseed (Brassica napus) by fifty percent at 8.8 ${\mu}g\;g^{-1}$. And in a greenhouse experiment, sorghum, barnyard grass and Indian jointvetch, which was applied in above-ground parts, with the amyris essential oil at 4,000 ${\mu}g\;ml^{-1}$ showed visual injuries of 90, 70, and 70, respectively (0, no damage; 100, total damage). However, soil application of the essential oil did not show such herbicidal injuries. In a field experiment, foliar application of the amyris essential oil at 5% controlled effectively weeds such as barnyardgrass, shepherd's purse, and clover in 24 hours. Our results indicated that the amyris essential oil had herbicidal activity. To understand the composition of the amyris essential oil, the oil was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectometry with solid-phase micro-extraction apparatus. There were 15 organic chemicals in the oil and the major constituents were calarene, elemol, ${\gamma}$-eudesmol, curcumene, ${\beta}$-sesquiphellandrene, zingiberene, selina-3,7(11)-diene, 1,3-diisopropenyl-6-methyl-cyclohexene, ${\beta}$-bisabolene, and ${\beta}$-maaliene. Overall results suggest that the amyris essential oil had a herbicidal activity with fast, contact, and non-selective mechanism.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.191-198
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• 2010

The objective of this study was to find herbicidal compounds from seven different plant essential oils such as amyris (Amyris balsamifera), cajuput (Melaleuca cajeputi), geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), lavender (Lavendula spp.), mandarin (Citrus reticulata), pine (Pinus spp.) and rosemary (Rosmarius officinale), and determine their herbicidal activities. The in vitro herbicidal activity of cajuput essential oil was the highest among six essential oils ($GR_{50}$ value, $425{\mu}g\;g^{-1}$) and major chemical components in cajuput essential oil were eucalyptol (37.2%), ${\alpha}$-terpineol (11.6%), benzaldehyde (5.2%), linalool (4.1%), ${\alpha}$-pinene (2.5%) and ${\beta}$-pinene (2.4%), and their $GR_{50}$ values were 2,731, 500, 50, 372, 4,363, and $4,671{\mu}g\;g^{-1}$, respectively. Soil application of cajuput essential oil and benzaldehyde did not show any herbicidal activity at 80 kg $ha^{-1}$. When cajuput essential oil was applied to foliar at 80 kg $ha^{-1}$, narrow-leaved plants such as sorghum (Sorghum bicolar), barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli), and southern crabgrass (Digitaria ciliaris) were killed 100%, however, broad-leaved plants indian jointvetch (Aeschynomeme indica), velvet leaf (Abutilon theophrasti), cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium), Japanese morningglory (Calystegia japonica) were not killed, indicating the cajuput essential oil was effective to control narrow-leaved plants. Herbicidal activities of benzaldehyde at 80 kg $ha^{-1}$, to those plants were 20, 60 and 95%, respectively. Overall data showed that the herbicidal activity of cajuput essential oil was in part due to benzaldehyde.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.185-189
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• 2001

Essential oils of 21 herb plant samples, using spectrophotometric and paper disc agar diffusion methods under anaerobic conditions, were tested in vitro for their growth-inhibiting activities against Bifidobacterium bifidum, B. longum, Lactobacillus casei, Clostridium perfringens, and Escherichia coli. The responses varied with bacterial strains and plant oils. At 10 mg/disk, all essential oils did not inhibit beneficial intestinal bacteria, except for the oil of Alpinia officinarum and Melaleuca alternifolia against L. casei. Due to their strong growth-inhibitory activities against C. perfringens, E. coli, and L. casei, the activites of nine oils were evaluated at low concentrations. In test with C. perfringens at 1 mg/disk, the oils of Amyris balsamifera, Curcuma longa, M. alternifolia, and Trachyspermum ammi showed moderate activities. Moderate activities against E. coli were observed with the oils of M. alternifolia and T. ammi. These results may be indications of at least one of the pharmacological actions of the four herb plants.