TITLE:
Chemical Composition and Allelopathic Activity of the Essential Oil from Callistemon viminalis (Myrtaceae) Blossoms on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) Seedlings
AUTHORS:
Christiane Maria de Oliveira, Maria das Graças Cardoso, Ana Cristina da Silva Figueiredo, Maria Laene Moreira de Carvalho, Cíntia Alvarenga Santos Fraga de Miranda, Luiz Roberto Marques Albuquerque, David Lee Nelson, Marcos de Souza Gomes, Lucilene Fernandes Silva, Juliana de Andrade Santiago, Maria Luisa Teixeira, Rafaela Magalhães Brandão
KEYWORDS:
Biological Activity, Myrtaceae, Allelopathy
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.5 No.24,
November
27,
2014
ABSTRACT: The extraction of essential oils was performed by using the technique of hydrodistillation modified Clevenger apparatus, identification and quantification of the constituents was achieved by Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry, and Gas Chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector. Assessment of allelopathic activity was evaluated with the use of the method that assesses the direct contact of essential oils on germination and vigor of lettuce seeds. The major constituents that characterize the essential oil from the flowers of Callistemon viminalis were 1, 8-cineole, α-pinene and limonene at concentrations of 66.9%, 16.0% and 10.0%, respectively. The essential oil presented allelopathic activity at intensities that varied proportionately to the concentration of the essential oil, with a reduction in the percentage of germination and the germination speed index (GSI) of lettuce seeds and in the dry mass and length of shoots and roots of lettuce seedlings.