LAUSR

Herbicide resistance has become an increasing problem, and at the same time pesticide usage is declining due to stringent EU pesticide legislation which aims to reduce the impact on environment and human health. For these reasons, new alternative integrated weed management approaches are becoming increasingly relevant. Formulations based on Brassica defatted seed meals (DSMs) and glycerin, have previously been shown to be effective in reducing the germination of lettuce seed. In this work five DSMs, formulated with and without crude glycerin, were chosen for in vitro and glasshouse experiments: i) Brassica nigra, ii) Brassica tournefortii, iii) Eruca sativa, iv) Rapistrum rugosum and v) Sinapis alba. Black-grass (Alopecurus myosuroides), a weed demonstrating extensive herbicide resistance, was used as a target, and the germination inhibition caused on this weed by Brassica defatted seed meals was assessed. In both in vitro and in vivo experiments, the most effective DSM for inhibiting germination of both lettuce and black-grass seeds was the sinigrin containing DSM, Brassica nigra. The aim of the manuscript was to suggest a new high value application for Brassicas derived DSM as a co-products from the vegetable oil production chain. The proposed treatments could represent an interesting and 100% novel natural alternative to the conventional herbicides.