TY  - EJOU
AU  - Aćimović, Milica 
AU  - Popov, Milena 
AU  - Mandić, Nataša 
AU  - Tomić, Ana 
AU  - Lončar, Biljana 
AU  - Pezo, Lato 
AU  - Cvetković, Mirjana 
AU  - Jeremić, Jovana Stanković 
AU  - Šovljanski, Olja 

TI  - Lemon Catnip Hydrolate as a Dual-Function Bioresource: <i>In Vitro</i> Assessment of Phytotoxicity and Preservative Activity
T2  - Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany

PY  - 
VL  - 
IS  - 
SN  - 1851-5657

AB  - (1) Background: Plant hydrolates are widely generated as by-products of essential oil distillation, yet their potential biological properties remain insufficiently explored. This study evaluated whether that lemon catnip (<i>Nepeta cataria</i> var. <i>citriodora</i>) hydrolate exhibits allelopathic and antimicrobial effects in preliminary <i>in vitro</i> assays, contributing to the valorization of distillation residues within circular bioeconomy approaches. (2) Methods: Phytotoxic effects on germination and early seedling growth of crops (maize, soybean, and white clover) and weeds (common lambsquarters, amaranth, and wild carrot) were evaluated under <i>in vitro</i> conditions using hydrolate solutions (10%, 20%, 50%, and 100%). Germination kinetics were modelled using first-order, Elovich, double-constant, and Langmuir equations. Antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and antiadhesion activities were assessed against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and yeasts using agar diffusion and crystal violet screening assays. (3) Results: The hydrolate induced concentration-dependent inhibition of seed germination, with weed species showing greater sensitivity than crops. Complete suppression of weed germination occurred at ≥50% concentration, whereas maize retained partial tolerance. Germination performance indices declined significantly with increasing concentration. In antimicrobial screening assays, the hydrolate showed greater antimicrobial activity and reduced Gram-positive bacteria, reducing <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> biofilm formation by 70% and adhesion by 75%. (4) Conclusions: Lemon catnip hydrolate demonstrated screening-level allelopathic, antimicrobial and biofilm-associated inhibitory effects under <i>in vitro</i> conditions. These findings highlight the potential of hydrolates derived from essential oil distillation as bioactive by-products and support further investigation using quantitative antimicrobial testing and applied models to assess their practical relevance.
KW  - Biofilm inhibition; circular economy; <i>Nepeta cataria</i> var. <i>citriodora</i>; natural preservatives; seed germination kinetics

DO  - 10.32604/phyton.2026.079695