Allelopathy Journal
  • Year: 2007
  • Volume: 20
  • Issue: 1

Allelochemicals isolated from the leaves of Virola michelli Heckel

  • Author:
  • S. Santos Lourivaldo, C. borges Fábio, N. Oliveira Marilene, C. S. Ferreira Isabel, M. S. P. Guilhon Giselle, P. S. Souza Filho Antonio1, S. Santos Alberdan, S. P. Arruda Mara, H. Müller Adolfo, C. Arruda Alberto
  • Total Page Count: 8
  • Page Number: 235 to 242

1Laboratório de Agroindústria, Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Trav. Dr. Enéas Pinheiro, S/N, 66095-100 Belém-PA, Brazil.

Departamento de Química, Centro de Ciências Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal do Pará, Campus Universitário, 66075-970 Belém-PA, Brazil.

*Correspondence author. E-mail: lss@ufpa.br

Abstract

Two compounds, the flavone tithonine (1) and the lignan eudesmin (2), were isolated from the leaves of Virola michelli. Phytotoxic effects of these compounds and of the crude extracts (hexane, ethyl acetate and methanolic) of the leaves of V. michelli were examined in a Petri dish bioassay. The ethyl acetate and methanolic crude extracts drastically inhibited the seed germination of Mimosa pudica weed (at 1% w/v) by 88 and 100%, respectively. The two isolated compounds inhibited the radicle elongation, seed germination and hypocotyl length of Mimosa pudica. Substance 1 caused 45% inhibition in radicle elongation and 39% inhibition in hypocotyls elongetion at the highest dose tested (4.0 mg.L−1) and 35% inhibition in seed germinaton. The flavone 1 had greater herbicidal activity against the Mimosa pudica weed as compared to the lignan 2.

Keywords

Allelochemicals, allelopathy, eudesmin, flavone, lignan, Mimosa pudica, Myristicaceae, tithonine, Virola michelli.