Isolation of seed germination and plant growth inhibitors from mediterranean plants: Their potential use as herbicides

The investigation of the extracts of plants Cestrum parqui, Brassica fruticulosa, and Chenopodium album led to the isolation of compounds belonging to different classes: C13 norisoprenoids, lignans and cinnamic acid amides. These compounds exhibit interesting activity on standard target species Lactuca sativa, Lycopersicon esculentum, and Allium cepa influencing seed germination and plant growth. Lignans are the most active products inhibiting lettuce germination, and the results show greater phytotoxic activity of these compounds with respect to commercial herbicides. © 2006 American Chemical Society.