Chemical Composition and Allelopathic Effect of Essential Oil of Litsea pungens

Natural plant resources with herbicidal activity may be substitutes for synthetic chemical pesticides, likewise aromatic plant extracts, especially essential oils. Essential oil from Litsea pungens has been proved to possess a strong antibacterial property. Interestingly, we found the essential oil also showed a strong allelopathic capacity. Therefore, in the present work, the chemical composition of the essential oil from the fruit of L. pungens was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The weed control abilities of the essential oil were also further evaluated. The results show that the yield of essential oil extracted by steam distillation was 1.4%, and 17 compounds, mainly terpenoids, were identified by GC–MS. In allelopathic tests, the essential oil exhibited a negative effect on seed germination rate and seedling growth of Lolium perenne and Bidenspilosa. Moreover, chlorophyll content, malondialdehyde content, electrolyte leakage, catalase, superoxide dismutase and peroxidase of seedlings treated with essential oil were also negatively affected. This work could provide a better understanding of the rational utilization of L. pungens essential oil for crop cultivation and further development of environment-friendly herbicides.