Aspirin takes the headache out of ecological restoration
Curtin University
New Curtin research has shown how a
readily available, cheap and safe-to-use product found in the medicine cabinet
of most homes could be the key to better ecological restoration practices with
major benefits for the environment and agriculture.
Apparently, aspirin does cure everything
The study revealed that aspirin,
which naturally occurs in the bark of the willow tree and other plants, can
improve the survival of grass species important for ecological restoration and
sustainable pasture when applied in a seed coating.
Lead researcher Dr Simone Pedrini
from the ARC Centre for Mine Site Restoration in Curtin's School of Molecular
and Life Sciences, said salicylic acid has been used for its medicinal
properties for more than 4000 years and its modern synthetic version,
acetylsalicylic acid, or aspirin, is one of the most widely used medications in
the world.
"Our research found that
aspirin can do more than just ease a headache; it can also help restore
degraded land and ecosystems and establish sustainable pastures through
improving plant growth and survival," Dr Pedrini said.
"This study was performed on
native perennial grasses and showed that applying very low concentrations of
salicylic acid to the seed can improve plant survival and therefore its
effectiveness in reaching restoration goals.
"Salicylic acid was already known for its ability to improve stress resistance for plants such as tomatoes, making it useful for the agricultural industry, but its effect on native species and potential to aid landscape restoration was still unknown."
Research team member and Director of
the ARC Centre for Mine Site Restoration, John Curtin Distinguished Professor
Kingsley Dixon said salicylic acid was applied to the seeds of the native grass
species using a technology called seed coating, perfected by Curtin University
researchers, that allows seed shape and size to be modified, improving seeding
efficiency, and can be used to carry growth benefiting compounds.
"This is the first study to
deliver aspirin via coating on native species which means the technology can be
scaled up for improving restoration targets such as the UN Decade on Ecosystem
Restoration to be launched on 5 June 2021," Professor Dixon said.
"Further research is now needed
to test salicylic acid as a coating in other wild species to improve native
plant resistance to drought, extreme temperatures, salinity, pathogens, and
herbicides.
"Moreover, coating with
salicylic acid in combination with other beneficial compounds should be tested
on a broader array of plant species used in restoration, as their combined
impact on seed germination, emergence, growth and plant establishment could
improve the successful deployment of native seed onto degraded landscapes,
ultimately allowing for a more efficient seed-based restoration."