Abstract
The expansion of organic farming in Europe increases the co-occurrence of medicinal and aromatic plant crops and pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA)-producing weeds, raising serious contamination concerns. This study evaluated the risk of PA contamination in organically grown chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) under field conditions in the North Vidzeme region of Latvia, with particular emphasis on vertical PA distribution in dominant weeds and on whether PA occurrence could be detected in chamomile plants growing adjacent to PA-producing weeds under field conditions. Three commercial fields were surveyed using systematic quadrat sampling to quantify weed density, biomass, and height. PA-producing weeds were segmented into 5 cm fractions, and pyrrolizidine alkaloids were quantified by LC-HRMS. Myosotis arvensis was the dominant species (up to 48,000 plants ha−1), contributing the highest field-level PA load (up to 669.3 mg ha−1), whereas Anchusa arvensis occurred at lower densities (≤2400 plants ha−1) with a total PA load of 104.8 mg ha−1. In both species, PA concentrations increased toward upper plant segments, while contamination hazard at harvest was determined by the amount of PA-bearing biomass in the harvest-relevant zone. No PAs were detected in chamomile samples collected within 10 cm of PA-producing weeds (<LOQ). Under the investigated conditions, contamination hazard was primarily associated with mechanical admixture during harvest rather than soil-mediated transfer.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Myosotis arvensis was the dominant weed species, at up to 48,000 plants per hectare.
- Taxon
- Myosotis arvensis
Myosotis arvensise0 - Outcome
- dominant speciese0
- Value
- up to 48,000 plants ha−1e0
Not reportedSetting
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Myosotis arvensis was the dominant species (up to 48,000 plants ha−1)”
Claim · model-written summary
Myosotis arvensis contributed the highest field-level pyrrolizidine alkaloid load, up to 669.3 mg per hectare.
- Taxon
- Myosotis arvensisMyosotis arvensise0
- Outcome
- highest field-level PA loade0
- Value
- up to 669.3 mg ha−1e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Myosotis arvensis was the dominant species (up to 48,000 plants ha−1), contributing the highest field-level PA load (up to 669.3 mg ha−1)”
Claim · model-written summary
Anchusa arvensis occurred at lower densities, up to 2400 plants per hectare.
- Taxon
- Anchusa arvensis
Anchusa arvensise0 - Outcome
- lower densitiese0
- Value
- ≤2400 plants ha−1e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Anchusa arvensis occurred at lower densities (≤2400 plants ha−1)”
Claim · model-written summary
Anchusa arvensis had a total PA load of 104.8 mg per hectare.
- Taxon
- Anchusa arvensisAnchusa arvensise0
- Outcome
- total PA loade0
- Value
- 104.8 mg ha−1e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Anchusa arvensis occurred at lower densities (≤2400 plants ha−1) with a total PA load of 104.8 mg ha−1”
Claim · model-written summary
In Myosotis arvensis, pyrrolizidine alkaloid concentrations increased toward the upper plant segments.
- Taxon
- Myosotis arvensisMyosotis arvensise1
- Organ / stage
- upper plant segmentse0
- Outcome
- PA concentrationse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In both species, PA concentrations increased toward upper plant segments”
e1“Myosotis arvensis”
Claim · model-written summary
In Anchusa arvensis, pyrrolizidine alkaloid concentrations increased toward the upper plant segments.
- Taxon
- Anchusa arvensisAnchusa arvensise1
- Organ / stage
- upper plant segmentse0
- Outcome
- PA concentrationse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In both species, PA concentrations increased toward upper plant segments”
e1“Anchusa arvensis”
Claim · model-written summary
No pyrrolizidine alkaloids were detected (below the limit of quantification) in chamomile samples collected within 10 cm of PA-producing weeds.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“No PAs were detected in chamomile samples collected within 10 cm of PA-producing weeds (<LOQ)”
Claim · model-written summary
Contamination hazard at harvest was determined by the amount of PA-bearing biomass in the harvest-relevant zone.
- Outcome
- contamination hazard at harveste0
- Qualifier
- amount of PA-bearing biomass in the harvest-relevant zonee0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“contamination hazard at harvest was determined by the amount of PA-bearing biomass in the harvest-relevant zone”
Claim · model-written summary
Under the investigated conditions, chamomile contamination hazard was primarily associated with mechanical admixture during harvest rather than soil-mediated transfer.
Verbatim
t0“Chamomile”
e0“contamination hazard was primarily associated with mechanical admixture during harvest rather than soil-mediated transfer”