In the past, plants that discouraged other plants from growing near them were just a nuisance for novice gardeners trying to grow herbs or sunflowers. But this curious property could hold the key to eco-friendly herbicides, a report posted on Phys.org reveals.
The key is allelopathy (explained here by an article from Algal Research, shared by ScienceDirect), a biological process in which one organism produces natural compounds that affect the growth and survival of another organism.
Allelopathic plants can clear the ground around them and give them better access to sunlight and nutrients.
That's a useful property when you want to clear away plants yourself. In the study, published in Horticulture Research — via Oxford Academic — a team from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Strasbourg extracted the natural compound (-)-carvone from ordinary spearmint plants.
The team then demonstrated how this affected weeds such as cress and poppy. The compound targeted microtubules — tiny tube structures inside the weeds — and caused cell death and slower growth, halting the development of their seeds, per the report.
The problem with traditional chemical herbicides is that they're not specific. A farmer or gardener sprays a chemical like RoundUp to get rid of weeds, and it kills not only the weeds but also many nontargeted plants it comes in contact with. These chemical herbicides also have compounds that are toxic to animals, insects, and even people.
With too many people using too many herbicides, the environment can become heavily polluted, and both people and natural ecosystems suffer.
Allelopathic compounds point to the possibility of targeted herbicides that are safe for people and pets and only damage undesirable weeds without harming the environment.
The study also compared (-)-carvone to another option, (+)-menthofuran, and showed that (-)-carvone was more promising.
"Our findings with (-)-carvone present a groundbreaking approach to weed management," lead researcher Dr. Nathalie Hering said. "By specifically targeting the cytoskeleton of weed species, we can potentially develop bioherbicides that are both effective and environmentally friendly. This discovery opens new avenues for using natural compounds in sustainable agriculture, reducing our reliance on synthetic chemicals that often cause broader ecological harm."
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