Herbicidal activity of three natural products on four weed species

Introduction. Certain naturally derived substances may have herbicidal activity on some weeds species. Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of three substances of natural origin for the control of four weed species and to compare it with the effect of a synthetic broad-spectrum herbicide. Materials and methods. In February 2017, an experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the Fabio Baudrit Moreno Agricultural Experiment Station, Universidad de Costa Rica. Three commercial products of natural origin based on: 55 % d-limonene, 15 % pine extract (Pinus sp.) and 23 % thyme extract (Thymus vulgaris) were evaluated; additionally, a product of synthetic origin, gluphosinate ammonium 14 SL, was evaluated. A none treated check was included. These were sprayed on seedlings of Bidens pilosa, Amaranthus sp., Echinochloa colona and Rottboellia cochinchinensis. Results. The seedlings sprayed with the natural herbicides showed symptoms at two hours, but their final efficacy varied among species. Eight-days after spraying, d-limonene was more effective than all other treatments, showing damage ratings higher than 4.25 in all species. Pine and thyme extracts were not effective on B. pilosa. Pine extract caused greater damage on Amaranthus sp, E. colona, and R. cochinchinensis, while the thyme extract caused greater damage on Amaranthus sp and R. cochinchinensis. The synthetic herbicide gluphosinate showed significant damage on all four species. Conclusions. The commercial products of natural origin used had herbicidal activity on the four weed species tested.