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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Foodborne Toxin Detection and Prevention Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #409036
Research Project: Novel Methods for the Mitigation of Human Pathogens and Mycotoxin Contamination of High Value California Specialty Crops

Location: Foodborne Toxin Detection and Prevention Research

Title: Valorizing tree-nutshell particles as delivery vehicles for a natural herbicide

Author
item Kim, Jong Heon
item Chan, Kathleen - Kathy
item Hart-Cooper, William
item Ford, Deangela
item Orcutt, Kaydren
item Palumbo, Jeffrey - Jeff
item Tam, Christina
item Orts, William

Submitted to: Methods and Protocols
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/18/2023
Publication Date: 12/20/2023
Citation: Kim, J., Chan, K.L., Hart-Cooper, W.M., Ford, D.E., Orcutt, K.B., Palumbo, J.D., Tam, C.C., Orts, W.J. 2023. Valorizing tree-nutshell particles as delivery vehicles for a natural herbicide. Methods and Protocols. 7(1). Article 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/mps7010001.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/mps7010001

Interpretive Summary: Weed control in agricultural fields is very important for the proper production of crops, ensuring food safety and food security. Moreover, if not controlled properly, weeds in the field not only compete with crops for water and various nutrient sources but also host harmful pests such as mycotoxigenic fungi and insects that damage the economic crops. Since there are increasing incidences of herbicide-resistant weeds, it is necessary to develop new, sustainable weed control agents or systems. The agricultural byproducts tree nutshell particles were developed as the delivery vehicles of the natural fumigant salicylaldehyde (SA) to the soil. SA fumigant emitted from the nutshells prevented the germination of invasive or native weed seeds while it also inhibited the growth of fungi contaminated on the surface of nutshells or weed seeds. Therefore, tree nutshell particles could serve as effective SA delivery vehicles with the capability of controlled release of the herbicidal compound SA, ensuring safe production of food crops.

Technical Abstract: Natural fumigant salicylaldehyde (SA) has been developed as herbicide alternative, where tree nutshell particles, the undervalued agricultural by-products, were applied as SA delivery vehicles to soil; the system enabled controlled release of SA. The pre- and post-emergent herbicidal efficacy of SA was investigated using mono- and dicot plants by comparing: (1) types of solvents for dissolving SA (viz., dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) vs. ethanol (60%), and (2) effects of soil covering vs. no covering during SA application. In this study, dicot plants exhibited higher susceptibility to SA compared to monocot plants in the pre-emergent testing (w/ soil covering); seed germination frequency in monocot plants was 32% and 18% with 0.8 and 1.6M SA, respectively, while that in dicot plants was determined as 15% and 1% under the same test condition. In the post-emergent testing w/ soil covering, the growth of both mono- and dicot plants were completely inhibited after 5 to 7days of SA treatment, resulting in the death of test plants. Worthy of note, in the post-emergent setting, SA dissolved in ethanol (60%) completely disrupted the growth of mono- and dicot plants at 3 days post treatment, even without soil covering. In summary, tree nutshell particles could serve as effective SA delivery vehicles with the capability of controlled release of the herbicidal compound SA.