Valorizing Tree-Nutshell Particles as Delivery Vehicles for a Natural Herbicide

The United States is a principal producer of tree nuts (almonds, pistachios, and walnuts), resulting in the generation of excess of tree-nutshell by-products each year, with few market outlets. A nutshell is an essential, lignocellulosic layer that protects a kernel (seed) from the environment during cultivation. The objective of this study was to develop nutshell by-products as herbicide delivery systems, which would not only enable sustainable weed control in fields but also increases nutshell value and reduce the cost of waste disposal. We recently identified a natural salicylaldehyde (SA) that emits volatiles with both herbicidal and antifungal properties. In this study, walnut shell particles saturated with 0.8 to 1.6 M SA were developed as delivery vehicles for SA to soil, which allowed for the controlled release of an SA fumigant for weed control. The pre- and post-emergent herbicidal efficacy of SA was investigated using model monocot (Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh; turfgrass) and dicot (Brassica rapa var. pekinensis; Chinese cabbage) plants. We compared (1) the effects of different types of solvents for dissolving SA (dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and ethanol (60%, v/v)), and (2) the effect of covering soil with plastic layers (i.e., soil pasteurization) or not covering soil during SA fumigation using nutshells. Results: In the pre-emergent herbicidal testing with the soil covered, the dicot plants exhibited levels of higher susceptibility to SA in DMSO emitted from nutshells when compared to the monocot plants. The seed germination frequencies in the dicots were 15% and 1% with 0.8 and 1.6 M SA, respectively, while those in the monocots were 32% and 18%, respectively, under the same test conditions. In the post-emergent herbicidal testing with the soil covered, the growth of both the monocot and dicot plants was completely prevented after 5 to 7 days of SA fumigation, resulting in the deaths of entire plants. It was noteworthy that in the post-emergent herbicidal testing, SA dissolved in ethanol (60%, v/v) completely disrupted the growth of the monocot and dicot plants as early as 3 days after SA emission from the nutshells, even without the soil being covered. Tree-nutshell particles could serve as effective SA delivery vehicles with controlled release capabilities for SA. The SA exhibited pre- and post-emergent herbicidal activities against the monocot and dicot plants at most growth stages. SA (0.8 and 1.6 M) dissolved in ethanol (60%, v/v) might exert a synergism for higher herbicidal activity after emission from nutshells. Since tree nuts capture/store a substantial amount of carbon over their life-cycles, the new and sustainable utility of using nutshells not only reduces carbon emissions but also valorizes tree-nut by-products, thus benefitting the tree-nut industry.