Atividade fitotóxica e análise toxicológica de piplartina: aplicação em processos biotecnológicos

Abstract

Allelopathy is a chemically mediated interaction of one organism on another, through the release of allelochemicals to the environment. This direct effect can be beneficial or harmful for other living organisms. Allelochemicals have been studied as new alternatives for bioherbicides to control weeds. The discovery of new herbicides is essential, due to the great increase of its infestations and the increasing resistance of modern weeds to agrochemicals. Piplartine is an amide isolated from Piper turberculatum (family Piperaceae) and its potential as allelopathic activity has not yet been carried out. The objectives of the presented study are to evaluate the phytotoxicity of piplartine to weedy species, as well as to evaluate the toxicity of this compounds for other organisms. The phytotoxic potential was determined by pre- and post-emergence application of the species Eragrostis plana Nees and Bidens pilosa. The toxic potential of piplartine was determined by the lethality of Artemia salina. Piplartine was not toxic in low concentrations for Eragrostis plana Nees and Bidens pilosa in pre-emergence application, in higher concentrations (3000 and 4000 ppm) piplartine caused plant mortality and reduced shoot length. In the toxicological study, piplartine showed toxicity to A. salina at concentrations above 19.4 ppm.