Phytotoxic potential of Chrysopogon aciculatus (Retz.) Trin. (Poaceae)

The creeping weed, Chrysopogon aciculatus (Retz.) Trin., is widely known for its use as folk medicine, while its phytotoxic potential has not been examined. Therefore, we carried out an investigation into the phytotoxic potential of C. aciculatus to identify phytotoxic substances. C. aciculatus extracts showed inhibitory effects on shoot and root growth of cress, lettuce, rapeseed, and Italian ryegrass. Inhibition was both species-dependent and concentration-dependent. Two substances, (9S,10E,12Z)-9-hydroxyoctadeca-10,12-dienoic acid (9-HO-ODDEA) and rhizopycnin A, were isolated using chromatographies and characterized by spectral analysis. 9-HO-ODDEA retarded shoot and root growth of cress at concentrations higher than 1.0 and 0.3 mM, respectively, while on cress seedling by rhizopycnin A, the inhibition began from 1.0 mM. The concentrations needed for 50% inhibition of the shoot and root growth of test plants ranged from 1.71–2.31, and 0.71–0.72 mM for 9-HO-ODDEA and rhizopycnin A, respectively. These results indicate that these substances may contribute, to a certain extent, to the phytotoxic activity of C. aciculatus.