Essential oils to replace glyphosate?
What if essential oils were an alternative to glyphosate? Professor Haïssam Jijakli, head of the Integrated and Urban Plant Pathology Laboratory at Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech and co-founder of the APEO spin-off, is investigating this question.
While the use of glyphosate has been banned for Belgian individuals since 2017, it remains widely used by professionals, particularly in the agricultural world. On November 16, the 27 voted in favor of extending glyphosate for the next 10 years. But for farmers who no longer wish to use glyphosate, what other herbicide options are available?
Prof. Haïssam Jijakli has been studying this question since 2011. Joined by Simon Dal Maso, they created the spin-off APEO (for "Agronomical Plant Extracts & Essential Oils") in 2021. Exploring the fungicidal properties of essential oils, the researchers discovered one that acts as a total herbicide on both monocotyledons and dicotyledons, which represent two major groups of flowering plants.
"We started by making an emulsion from chemical adjuvants and obtained a stable solution, which can be stored on a shelf for two years. Later, we replaced these adjuvants with organic additives, all of natural origin" Prof. Jijakli.
Unlike glyphosate, which acts on a single site in the cell, the new compound attacks several cell sites, including cell walls, membranes and internal elements such as chloroplasts, mitochondria and certain cytoplasmic proteins. This multisite action reduces the risk of weeds developing mutations and resistance, and dries them out in a matter of hours. It should be noted that since its action is contact-based, this bioherbicide will not replace all current uses of glyphosate.
The popularity of glyphosate lies not only in its efficacy, but also in its price, which is much lower than that of substitutes such as pelargonic acid. In the case of the solution developed by APEO, the price of the bioherbicide will be slightly higher than that of glyphosate, while remaining affordable for professionals.
The essential oil selected for its herbicidal effects also addresses environmental issues such as the accumulation of products in the soil, since it degrades rapidly (in less than three days). Human toxicology and ecotoxicology tests have also confirmed that the use of this active ingredient is acceptable for the environment and for human beings.
With regard to its arrival on the market, APEO plans to submit the registration dossier for the product in the United States and Europe at the beginning of 2024. This will enable the spin-off to market a version of its product for home use, and later a high-concentration formula for professionals.
If the herbicidal properties of the selected essential oil are of interest as a replacement for glyphosate, other essential oils could also help farmers as fungicides. Two doctorates, in collaboration with ULiège, are devoted to the effects of these essential oils on potato mildew and apple scab.
Further information
Apeo spin-off: €6M raised for a natural alternative to glyphosate
