Embriotoxicidade de óleo essencial de Melaleuca alternifolia (Linnaeus, 1767) em galinha (Gallus gallus domesticus, Linnaeus, 1758)

Abstract

With the increase in population and, consequently, the increase in demand for food, there was an intensification of the use of synthetic phytosanitary products (PFS) in agricultural production. Due to the environmental imbalances caused by the excessive use of PFS, the need arose to study and use alternative systems of production. Of these, one of the forms is the use of natural products that do not interfere with the development of the plant, so that it naturally acquires resistance, and which causes the least possible environmental impact and does not harm human health and other animals that inhabit the environment. Due to the problems presented it was proposed to study the effects that one of these alternative control agents may present on the embryonic development of chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). In the present work we investigated the effects of the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia, in comparison with synthetic fungicide product (the base of), on the embryonic development of chicken. A concentration of tea tree essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia), fungicidal product at the concentration recommended by the manufacturer and two concentrations of Tween 80® were applied directly to the air chamber prior to incubation of the eggs. After incubation of the eggs for three days, the embryos were analyzed for mortality rate and external morphology. In the results obtained the highest mortality rate and malformations was in the treatment of the synthetic product based on Iprodione. It maybe that Tween 80® has changed in the results of Melaleuca alternifolia essential oil treatment. However, it was concluded that all treatments disrupted the normal development of the embryo. Apparently the essential oil Melaleuca alternifolia did not cause malformations nor mortality.