Biotic Activity of Essential Oil and the Other juniperus communis L. Metabolites

Abstract

Numerous plant species in their tissues produce metabolites with different biotic activities, which are nowadays used in traditional medicine, phytopharmacy, biotechnology.., The significance of biotically active substances is related both to plants themselves in the function of protection from phytopathogens, and for the changes which can be caused in microbiocoenosis and in ecosystem in general. Thus essential oils of numerous plant species have an important antimicrobial activity (Morris et al 1979; Janssen et al., 1987; Deans and Riche, 1987) which makes them potential aseptics. Juniperus communis L. in its stem, needles and first of all fruits, produces a complex of volatile compounds with strong bactericidal activity (Voroncihin, 1976). The concentration of phytoncides is the highest in the fruits (above 80%) from which various products can be extracted (essential oil, alcoholic extract, water extracts, etc.). After the extraction of primary products, there remains a significant quantity of secondary metabolites which can be utilized (Matović et ul., 1996, Čomić et al., 1996). A hectare of juniper forest during 24 hours synthesizes about 30 kg of biotically active substances. Biotic activity of metabolites depends on the biology of plant species, its physiological condition and total environmental conditions (Tokin 1951, Koleva 1980).