Essential oil analysis and phytotoxic activity of catnip (Nepeta cataria L.)

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the phytotoxic activity of essential oil (EO) from aerial parts of Catnip (Nepeta cataria L.) on some noxious weeds and field crops with a view to explore the possibility of production of natural herbicides. The EO of N. cataria was extracted by hydrodistillation and the composition of the volatile oil was characterized by GC-FID and GC-MS. The inhibitory effects of EO at concentrations of 0, 150, 300, 600, and 1200 µlL-1 on seed germination and seedling growth of Hordeum spontaneum Koch, Taraxacum officinale, Avena fatua L. and three crop seeds including Lipidium sativum, Nepeta cataria and Ocimum basilicum were tested. The examined concentrations of N. cataria EO showed different phytotoxic as well as selective properties on the germination and growth of the studied species. The studied EO could be considered as an allelochemical agent in formulation of natural herbicides in future weed control.