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

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.

Impact of glyphosate (Roundup TM ) on the composition and functionality of the gut microbiome

“… 30 Furthermore, alkaloids, which are medicinal compounds naturally produced by plants with anti-cancer and anti-inflammation properties, are also made by the shikimate pathway and so these natural compounds cannot be produced by plants following treatment with glyphosate. 29 , 31 …”

On glyphosate

“…Further studies indicated glyphosate-induced disturbances in the biosynthesis of glucosinolate phytoalexins (Pedras and Yaya, 2014;Petersen et al, 2007), flavonoids (Margna et al, 1988), cocaine (Casale and Lydon, 2007), and other secondary metabolites from aromatic amino acids (Tzin and Galili, 2010).…”

Determination of Herbicides Paraquat, Glyphosate, and Aminomethylphosphonic Acid in Marijuana Samples by Capillary Electrophoresis

“…Such action was quite controversial due to the paraquat toxicity levels for marijuana users as well as for inhabitants near to the cultivation and herbicide application sites . In the last decade, glyphosate [N‐(phosphonomethyl)glycine] was used in coca plants eradication program in Colombia .…”