Chemical composition of Schinus lentiscifolius March. essential oil and its phytotoxic and cytotoxic effects on lettuce and onion

Schinus lentiscifolius March. essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation of the leaves, and its compounds were tentatively identified using a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer detector and a gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector. Chromatographic analyses showed that this essential oil is a complex mixture of terpenes and that the most abundant chemicals were sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (41.52%), with δ-cadinene (14.43%) as the major compound. Phytotoxicity testing assays using this essential oil showed a decrease in the percent of germination, the speed of accumulated germination, and root and shoot length in onion and lettuce. The effects of volatiles on the mitotic processes of target species' root meristems were also evaluated. Compared to the negative control, S. lentiscifolius essential oil reduced the mitotic index of onion by 19.35% and that of lettuce by 25.14%. Essential oil also induced aneugenic and clastogenic effects on the root meristems of target species, promoting the occurrence of micronuclei and stickiness. •Chemical composition of Schinus lentiscifolius essential oil was studied.•We evaluate phytotoxic and genotoxic effects of this essential oil on onion and lettuce.•The essential oil reduced mitotic activity and induced chromosomal abnormalities on target species root meristems.