Evaluation of vegetal extracts as biological herbi- and pesticides for their use in Cuban agriculture.
The idea of an interuniversity project between the Universidad Central de Las Villas, Cuba and the University of Ghent, Belgium was conceived in order to improve the quality of the Cuban agriculture and to stimulate its independence from foreign chemical farm inputs, starting with an applied ethnobotanical investigation as basis for the development of sustainable agricultural practices. The project consists of three parts. The first, ethnobotanical part, subtends the two subsequent stages, i.e. the phytochemical and pharmacological stages. After ethnobotanical inventarization of plants with a possible phytotoxic or pesticide effect, these will be collected and taxonomically defined. Fresh vegetal material will be dried and ground, and this first crude extract (polar or apolar) will be tested for its activity in in vitro biological tests. When results are positive (presence of activity), this crude extract will be tested in vivo, which could lead to immediate application in agriculture (short-term strategy). The long-term strategy will lead to the identification of chemical substances, responsible for the activity of the crude extract. As highly sophisticated apparatus is needed for this last step (i.e. identification of chemical compounds), this will be performed by the Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences of the University of Ghent. The project has started in September 2000. Apart from all the (complicated) administrative steps to be undertaken for its successful execution, the ethnobotanical and phytochemical parts have already started. Ethnobotanical data were gathered in view of recollection of "traditional botanical knowledge", considering three main approaches: the use of plants in medicine, in Cuban religion (the famous "santería") and the use of allelopathic plants in agriculture. Use of medicinal and religious plants is ubiquitous in Cuba. The concept of allelopathy, however, is much less known and applied. At this moment, and after preliminary screening and gathering of field data, in vitro germination tests are running, trying out extracts of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), banana (Musa spp.), sunflower (Helianthus annuus), Simarouba glauca and S. laevis (syn. Quassia, fam. Simaroubaceae).
De Cupere
F
F
University of Ghent, Department of Plant Production, Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture and Ethnobotany, Coupure Links, 653, B-9000 Gent, Belgium.
Vandebroek
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I
Puentes
M
M
Torres
S
S
Van Damme
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P
D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D003462:Cuba; D018525:Germination / Q000187:drug effects*; D006368:Helianthus / Q000737:chemistry; D007313:Insecta; D028521:Musa / Q000737:chemistry; D010572:Pest Control, Biological / Q000379:methods*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry; D012639:Seeds / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D032272:Simarouba / Q000737:chemistry; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000737:chemistry; D014675:Vegetables / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D010936:Plant Extracts