Apparent Effects of Glyphosate on Alkaloid Production in Coca Plants Grown in Colombia

Journal of Forensic Sciences
2007.0

Abstract

During the routine analysis of coca leaf material from South America, alkaloids in Erythroxylum coca var. ipadu (ECVI) leaf samples from fields suspected of being treated with glyphosate were compared with those from non-treated E. coca var. ipadu and Erythroxylum novogranatense var. novogranatense (ENVN) plants. Cocaine levels in leaf tissue from non-treated ECVI and ENVN were 0.53 +/- 0.08% and 0.64 +/- 0.08% (w/w), respectively, whereas leaves from treated plants were nearly devoid of cocaine. Further analysis demonstrated the presence of several previously undescribed N-nortropane alkaloids, several of which were tentatively identified. The results suggest that applications of glyphosate to coca plants can have dramatic effects on the quantity and quality of alkaloids produced by surviving or subsequent leaves. The analytical data presented will be of value to forensic chemists who encounter illicit cocaine preparations containing alkaloids produced from coca plants treated with glyphosate.

Knowledge Graph

Similar Paper

Apparent Effects of Glyphosate on Alkaloid Production in Coca Plants Grown in Colombia
Journal of Forensic Sciences 2007.0
Lesser Alkaloids of Cocaine-Bearing Plants. Part I: Nicotinoyl-, 2′-Pyrroloyl, and 2′- and 3′-Furanoylecgonine Methyl Ester—Isolation and Mass Spectral Characterization of Four New Alkaloids of South American Erythroxylum coca Var. coca
Journal of Forensic Sciences 1997.0
Alkaloid Content in Two<i>Erythroxylum</i>Taxa During Juvenile Growth and Development
Journal of Herbs, Spices &amp; Medicinal Plants 2003.0
1-Hydroxytropacocaine: An abundant alkaloid of Erythroxylum novogranatense var. Novogranatense and var. Truxillense
Phytochemistry 1994.0
Lesser alkaloids of cocaine-bearing plants II. 3-Oxo-substituted tropane esters: detection and mass spectral characterization of minor alkaloids found in South American Erythroxylum coca var. coca
Journal of Chromatography A 1996.0
Alkaloid Content of the Seeds from Erythroxylum Coca var. Coca
Journal of Forensic Sciences 2005.0
Lesser alkaloids of cocaine-bearing plants III. 2-carbomethoxy-3-oxo substituted tropane esters: detection and gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric characterization of new minor alkaloids found in South American Erythroxylum coca var. coca
Journal of Chromatography A 1996.0
3′,4′,5′-Trimethoxy-Substituted Analogs of Cocaine, Cis-/Trans-Cinnamoylcocaine and Tropacocaine: Characterization and Quantitation of New Alkaloids in Coca Leaf, Coca Paste and Refined Illicit Cocaine
Journal of Forensic Sciences 1994.0
Alkaloids of Erythroxylum (Erythroxylaceae) species from Southern Brazil
Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 2001.0
Alkaloids of Erythroxylum (Erythroxylaceae) species from Southern Brazil
Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 2001.0