Invasive plants as a source of biologically active lipids

Invasive plants can be considered a major threat to the biodiversity and provision of ecosystem services worldwide, and thus their eradication and control are an important tasks in many countries and even globally. Still, the knowledge of many invasive species is limited and thus the efficiency of control activities often has limited resultativity. Thus, to develop knowledge-based solutions of invasive plant eradication and control strategies, it is essential to gain knowledge of their composition as well as methods of their safe biomass utilisation, at the same time promoting the use of valuable biomass components. In this study, the biochemical composition of widely distributed invasive plants including Canadian goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), Sosnowsky’s hogweed (Heracleum sosnowskyi), Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera), Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) and other knotweed species were studied. Using extraction with subsequent gas/liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry the substances present in these plants have been studied. As groups of substances with allelopathic activity, possibly affecting the invasiveness of studied plants, polyphenolics, lipids, and essential oils have been identified and their concentrations in different parts of studied plants have been compared. Amongst lipids, these have also included unsaturated fatty acids, phytol, unsaturated alkanes (n=18 – 26) and others. Several parts of the invasive plants studied, for example, the rhizomes of Japanese knotweed, have high concentrations of polyphenolics (resveratrol, emodin, and others), with application potential. Thus, the eradication of invasive plants can be combined with the use of their biomass to achieve plant control aims.

Acknowledgement of project Nr. lzp-2022/1-0103.