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Int. J. Cur. Tr. Res (2015)4 (1):82-93
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Allelopathic inhibition of Parthenium
hysterophorus L. aqueous leaf extracts
on germination and growth in certain
crops/weed plants
Malarkodi E*. and A. Manoharan
Department of Plant Biology and Plant Biotechnology, Presidency College
(Autonomous), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Received: 15 December, 2015 Accepted: 21 December 25 2015/ Published online 24 December 2015.
© INJCTR – 2015
Abstract
In the present study allelopathic effect of Parthenium hysterophorus L. aqueous leaf aqueous extract on
the seed germination, vigour index, seedling growth, fresh weight and dry biomass changes of three crop
plants Sesamum indicum L., Arachis hypogaea L., Zea mays L., and a crop field weed Trianthema
portulacastrum L. (Bishkhapra) by conducting pot culture experiments. Germination bioassays were
carried out under laboratory conditions with Petri dishes. The crop/weed seeds were sown and uniformly
irrigated with different concentrations like, (i.e., 2 %, 4 %, 6 %, 8 % and 10 %) of aqueous leaf extracts of
Parthenium hysterophorus including control. Extracts of up to 10 % concentrations showed significant
reductions in germination percentage, vigour index, shoot length, root length fresh weight and dry
biomass compared with distilled water treated control except for the 2 % treated Sesame plants have a
marginal increase. The highest seed germination was observed in Sesamum indicum followed by Arachis
hypogaea, Zea mays and Trianthema portulacastrum. Maximum germination inhibition was observed in
Trianthema portulacastrum (90.00 %). The results shows directly proportion to the concentration of leaf
extract. If leaf extracts concentration increases the percentage of germination decreases in all four seeds
of tested plants.
Keywords: Parthenium hysterophorus, leaf extracts, Allelopathy, germination, Sesamum indicum,
Arachis hypogaea, Zea mays and Trianthemum portulacastrum.
Introduction
Weeds are one of the most serious problems
in agricultural production. They are volunteer
plants from the wild or semi culture species
that are found in food crops despite the will of
the people and harm reducing yields. Today,
some 30,000 species of weeds, i.e. repeated
more than crops and in quantity, size and
distribution are second group after natural
vegetation. According to the FAO from the total
losses worldwide caused by the crop pests, the
weeds account for 35 % of losses in wheat, 28 %
in vegetables, 29 % in fruit species and
vineyards and 37 % in tobacco (Petrova et al.,
2015). Weeds are of much more importance in
crop production due to their adverse effects on
crops, a term referred to as ecological
*[email protected]
interference. Allelopathy is the form of
interference by which one plant exert its
suppressive effect on another plant via a
chemical inhibitor released from living or
decaying tissue of donor plant (Zimdahl, 2007).
It is considered to be one of the factors
whereby weeds adversely affect crop growth
through allelochemicals released as vapors,
leachates, exudates or decomposition products
from the aerial parts, foliage, roots, or dead
plant residues of weeds, respectively. Usually,
leaves, roots and seeds are rich source of
allelochemicals compared with flowers and
fruits (Rao, 2000). Congress grass, Parthenium
hysterophorus L. of the family Asteraceae (tribe:
Heliantheae), is an erect and much branched
83
Malarkodi and Manoharan
annual or ephemeral herb, known for its
notorious role as environmental, medical and
agricultural hazards. It is believed to have been
introduced into India and Australia from North
America and in the last few years the weed has
emerged as the seventh most devastating weed
in Africa, Asia and Australia. Control of
Parthenium has been tried by various methods,
but no single management option would be
adequate to manage Parthenium and there is a
need to integrate various management options.
Successful management of this weed can only
be achieved by an integrated approach with
biological control as the key element (Kaur et
al., 2014). Parthenium hysterophorus L. is a well
known weed that is a serious problem in
agriculture. It also produces a toxin called
parthenin (Lalitha et al., 2012). Most commonly
used
method
of
proving
allelopathic
interference in plant communities or in the
"weed-crop plant" is establishing stimulating or
inhibitory effect of extracted plant material on
the test plants or study the effect of plant
residues and their application in quartz sand
and/or soil made in the laboratory (Kalinova et
al., 2012). The present study has been aimed at
investigating the allelopathic effect of aqueous
extract
of
leaves
from
Parthenium
hysterophorus L. against three crop plants
Sesamum indicum L., Arachis hypogaea L., Zea
mays L., and a crop field weed Trianthema
portulacastrum L. (Bishkhapra) to assess the
allelopathic effect of P. hysterophorus on seed
germination and growth characters and assess
the tolerance limit of seeds to aqueous plant
extract.
Materials and Methods
Selection of species
Four species of fast growing angiosperm plants were
selected for to assess the allelopathic potential of
their leaves of Parthenium hysterophorus L. as
follows: (1) Sesamum indicum L. (2) Arachis
hypoaea L. (3) Zea mays L. (4) Trianthema
portulacastrum L. (Bishkhapra).
Int. J. Cur. Tr. Res (2015)4 (1):82-93
Preparation of aqueous leaf extracts
Aqueous means- dissolved in water (it can
be either fresh leaves or dried powder), the
collected leaves of Parthenium hysterophorus
were shade dried completely for the period of
30 days than chopped into small pieces and
made into fine coarse powder. Various
concentrations of leaf extracts prepared (i.e., 2
%, 4 %, 6 %, 8 % and 10 % leaf powder/litre) in a
flask for 48 hrs at room temperature (300C)
using distilled water for the bioassay studies.
Distilled water was used as a control.
Pot culture experiments
Earthen pots (30 ×15 cm) were filled with 5
kg of normal garden soil having silt, humus and
sand mixed with Farm yard manure (FYM) in the
ratio of 5:1. Healthy and uniform seeds of test
plants were chosen, the seeds were surface
sterilized with 0.1 % HgCl2 solution for 30
seconds and washed in distilled water
thoroughly for several times to remove excess
of chemical and dried to eliminate fungal
attack. Then the crop/weed seeds were sown
(15/pots) and uniformly irrigated with different
concentrations (i.e. 2 %, 4 %, 6 %, 8 % and 10 %)
of aqueous leaf extracts of Parthenium
hysterophorus
and
five
replicates
were
maintained to each treatment including control.
The control pot was irrigated with distilled
water. The leaf extracts / distilled water were
added to the pots on alternate days up to 15
days. Germination was recorded after five days
after seed sown. Growth parameters such as
root length and shoot length, dry biomass,
number
of
leaves
and
fresh
weight,
Photosynthetic pigment (chlorophyll) and
biochemical constituents of test crop/weed
seedlings such as sugars, protein, amino acids,
proline and enzymes- catalse, peroxidase,
polyphenol oxidase and SOD activity were
estimated on 15, 30 and 45 DAS, day after
germination. The physio-chemical properties of
experimental pot soil were analyzed on 15th day
after sown.
Germination Percentage
Collection of plant material
The
percentage
of
germination
was
calculated by using the following formulae.
The
plant
parts
of
Parthenium
hysterophorus were collected from agricultural
fields of Vellore District, Tamil Nadu. The seeds
of Sesame, Ground nut, Maize and Trianthemum
were produced from Tamil Nadu agricultural
University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Seeds were selected as uniform in size, colour
and weight and stored in metal tins as
suggested by Rao (1956).
Number of seeds germinated
Germination (%) =------------------------------------- x 100
Vigour Index Number of seeds sown
The seedling vigour index was calculated by
using
Abdul–Baki
and
Anderson
(1973)
formulae.
SVI= (Shoot length (cm) + Root length (cm) X
Germination percentage.
Int. J. Cur. Tr. Res (2015)4 (1):82-93
Malarkodi and Manoharan
Shoot length and Root length
Five seedlings of each test crop namely
Sesame, Groundnut, Maize and Trianthemum
were selected randomly from each treatment of
pot culture experiment. The shoot length and
root length was measured with scale and thread
which were expressed in centimeters.
Fresh and Dry Biomass
The seedlings were up rooted and washed
thoroughly with tap water. The randomly
selected five normal seedlings were used for
measuring root and shoot length were used for
recording fresh weight as well as dry weight of
seedlings and expressed in milligrams.
Dry weight of five seedlings was recorded after
drying in hot air oven maintained at 800C
temperature for 48 hours. The dried seedlings
were weighed, averaged and expressed in
milligrams. The dry weights were recorded by
using an electronic single pan balance.
Statistical analysis
At least five replicates were maintained for
all treatments and control. The depth if
significance between the treatments could be
brought out clearly by multiple ranges testing
programme. Hence, ANOVA followed by Tukey’s
Multiple Range Test (TMRT) was applied for the
experimental data at 5 % level of significance
(Zar, 1984).
Results
The seed germination, vigour index and
growth parameters of all the test plants,
influenced by the leaf extracts were recorded
on 15, 30 and 45 days after seed sown (DAS).
The data gathered from periodical observations
were processed and statistically analyzed and
the results are presented in the tables. The
observations and results of the present
investigation are as follows.
Seed germination
The germination percentage of four test
plants was influenced by the aqueous leaf
extracts of P. hysterophorus and the results are
presented in the Table 1. The highest seed
germination was observed in Sesamum indicum
followed by Arachis hypogaea, Zea mays and
Trianthema portulacastrum. The increasing
concentration
of
leaf
extracts
of
P.
hysterophorus
increased
the
reduction
percentage on crops/weed germination. Among
the 4 species the highest inhibitory percentage
was noticed in Sesamum indicum (94.00 %)
which was followed by Arachis hypogaea (92.00
%), Zea mays (90.00 %) and Trianthema
84
portulacastrum (90.00 %) when compared to
control plants. The germination percentage of
all the tested plants gradually declined up to 10
% concentration of leaf extracts. However, 2 %
aqueous leaf extracts of Sesame showed the
highest germination percentage (96.77 %) (Table
1).
Vigour index
Changes in the vigour index of four tested
plants cultivated in aqueous leaf extracts of P.
hysterophorus are given in Table 2. The
maximum vigour index was observed in
Sesamum
indicum
followed
by
Arachis
hypogaea,
Zea
mays
and
Trianthema
portulacastrum. The vigour index of all the test
plants gradually declined with increasing
concentration of leaf extracts. Among the 4
species the highest inhibitory percentage was
noticed in Sesamum indicum (3714.36) with 2 %
concentration of leaf extracts which was
followed Arachis hypogaea (3445.74), Zea mays
(3443.18) and Trianthema portulacastrum
(2388.28) in control plants. The vigour index of
all the tested plants gradually declined up to 10
% concentration of leaf extracts (Table 2).
Root length
The root length of all the four experimental
plants reduced against the aqueous leaf
treatments of P. hysterophorus and data shown
in the Table 3. The highest root length was
observed in Sesamum indicum followed by
Arachis hypogaea, Zea mays and Trianthema
portulacastrum. When compared to control, the
root length was progressively reduced with
increasing the level of leaf extracts. The
maximum inhibitory effect of root length was
observed in Zea mays (188.18 %) significantly at
10 % of concentration and followed by
Trianthema portulacastrum (168.12 %), Arachis
hypogaea (164.86) and Sesamum indicum (54.63
%) after 45 days of cultivation. However, 2 %
concentration of leaf extracts of Sesame showed
highest root length (19.00 cm/plant)
when
compared to control plants (Table 3).
Shoot length
The shoot length of all the four
experimental plants reduced against the
aqueous leaf treatments of P. hysterophorus and
data shown in the Table 4. The highest seed
germination was observed in Zea mays followed
by Sesamum indicum, Arachis hypogaea and
Trianthema portulacastrum. When compared to
control, the root length was progressively
reduced with increasing the level of leaf
extracts.
When compared to control, the
maximum inhibitory effect of root length was
observed in Arachis hypogaea (124.15 %) which
was followed by Trianthema portulacastrum
(63.77 %), Zea mays (62.95 %) and Sesamum
Malarkodi and Manoharan
85
indicum (50.04 %). However, 2 % concentration
of leaf extracts of Sesame showed highest shoot
length (38.19 cm/plant)
when compared to
control plants (Table 4).
Fresh weight
Table 5 shows the fresh weight of all the
four experimental plants reduced against the
aqueous leaf treatments of P. hysterophorus.
Maximum fresh weight was observed in Zea
mays followed by Sesamum indicum, Arachis
hypogaea and Trianthema portulacastrum.
When compared to control, the fresh weight
was progressively reduced with increasing the
level of leaf extracts up to 10 % concentration
of leaf extracts (except for 2 % of Sesame 44.9
g/plant). The maximum inhibitory effect of
fresh weight was observed in Trianthema
portulacastrum (86.09 %) followed by Arachis
hypogaea (61.27 %), Zea mays (43.12 %) and
Int. J. Cur. Tr. Res (2015)4 (1):82-93
Sesamum indicum (41.14 %) after 45 days
growth period.
Dry biomass
Similar to fresh weight, the dry weight of all
the four experimental plants reduced against
the aqueous leaf treatments of P. hysterophorus
and also maximum dry weight was observed in
Zea mays followed by Sesamum indicum,
Arachis
hypogaea
and
Trianthema
portulacastrum. When compared to control, the
dry weight was gradually reduced with
increasing the level of leaf extracts up to 10 %
concentration of leaf extracts (except for 2 % of
Sesame 14.9 g/plant). The maximum inhibitory
effect of fresh weight was observed in
Trianthema portulacastrum (88.93 %) followed
by Arachis hypogaea (61.53 %), Zea mays (45.39
%) and Sesamum indicum (40.84 %) after 45 days
growth period (Table 6).
Table-1 Allelopathic effects of aqueous leaf extracts of Parthenium hysterophorus on seed
germination (%) percentage of four crop/ weed species
Parthenium hysterophorus
S. No
Extract
Concentration
Sesame
Groundnut
Maize
Trianthemum
1
Control
94a
92a
90a
90a
2
2%
96.77a (-1.28)
89.82b (-2.37)
87.85b (-2.38)
86.14b (4.29)
3
4%
92.93a (-3.19)
87.14b (-4.19)
84.33c (-6.29)
81.32c (-9.64)
4
6%
89.05b (-7.23)
82.54c (-10.28)
77.72d (-13.64)
74.43d (-17.29)
5
8%
72.77c (-24.19)
65.15d (-29.18)
59.13e (-34.29)
54.48e (-39.46)
6
10%
48.34d (-49.64)
39.33e (-57.24)
34.03f (-62.18)
28.62f (-68.19)
Mean with different alphabets in a column differed significantly as per Tukey’sMultiple Range Test
(TMRT) (P<0.05). Data in parenthesis indicates % decrease/increase over respective control
Table-2 Allelopathic effects of aqueous leaf extracts of Parthenium hysterophorus on vigour index of
four crop/ weed species
S. No
Extract
Concentration
1
Control
2
2%
3
4%
4
6%
5
8%
6
10%
Parthenium hysterophorus
Sesame
Groundnut
Maize
Trianthemum
3335.36a
3714.64a
(-3.85)
3121.14b
(-13.07)
2867.92c
(-37.08)
2018.63d
(-63.97)
1148.67e
(-75.11)
3445.74a
3344.44a
(-3.96)
3130.55b
(-5.54)
2645.50c
(-17.42)
1764.68d
(-42.39)
859.88e
(-69.28)
3443.18a
3388.14a
(-5.12)
3162.68b
(-10.97)
2606.41c
(-27.76)
1683.64d
(-55.63)
800.56e
(-81.44)
2388.28a
1997.61a
(-6.84)
1723.62b
(-14.31)
1510.61c
(-32.91)
1021.11d
(-63.72)
465.93e
(-87.43)
Mean with different alphabets in a column differed significantly as per Tukey’sMultiple Range Test
(TMRT) (P<0.05). Data in parenthesis indicates % decrease/increase over respective control
Int. J. Cur. Tr. Res (2015)4 (1):82-93
Malarkodi and Manoharan
86
Table-3 Allelopathic effects of aqueous leaf extracts of Parthenium hysterophorus on Root length
(cm/plant) of four crop/weed species
Parthenium hysterophorus
Extract
Concentra
Sesame
Groundnut
Trianthemum
Maize
tion
Control
15DAS
30DAS
45DAS
15DAS
30DAS
45DAS
15DAS
30DAS
45DAS
15DAS
30DAS
45DAS
5.26a
8.29a
18.1a
5.2a
8.26a
14.94a
4.9a
9.61a
14.18a
3.1a
7.4a
12.28a
6.25a
10.22a
19.00a
5.40a
9.98a
15.61a
4.80a
9.27a
13.87a
3.06a
7.21a
12.09a
(-0.3)
(-0.96)
(-0.53)
(-2.28)
(-2.01)
(3.35)
(-2.13)
(-3.56)
(-2.48)
(-1.27)
(-2.59)
(-1.56)
5.21a
8.10a
17.75a
4.93a
7.56b
13.96b
4.60b
8.63b
12.96b
2.97a
6.79a
11.64a
(-1.25)
(-2.35)
(-1.94)
(-5.27)
(-8.49)
(-6.64)
(-6.19)
(-10.23)
(-8.59)
(-4.27)
(-8.29)
(-5.21)
3.99b
7.39b
16.54b
4.19b
5.92c
11.78c
3.84c
6.74c
10.57c
2.66b
5.57b
10.26b
(-6.28)
(-10.96)
(-8.61)
(-19.41)
(-28.37)
(-21.16)
(-21.65)
(-29.84)
(-25.49)
(-14.28)
(-24.67)
(-16.49)
3.69c
6.02c
14.55c
3.11c
4.55d
8.89d
2.78d
4.84d
7.90d
1.95c
4.31c
7.46c
(-13.46)
(-27.38)
(-19.62)
(-40.19)
(-44.97)
(-40.51)
(-43.28)
(-49.67)
(-44.28)
(-37.18)
(-41.79)
(-39.28)
3.16d
4.85d
11.72d
2.14d
2.96e
6.03e
1.85e
2.89e
4.94e
1.60d
2.89d
4.58d
(-25.83)
(-41.52)
(-35.26)
(-58.94)
(64.17)
(-59.61)
(-62.18)
(-69.94)
(-65.17)
(-48.27)
(-60.89)
(-54.18)
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
Mean with different alphabets in a column differed significantly as per Tukey’sMultiple Range Test (TMRT) (P<0.05). Data in parenthesis indicates %
decrease/increase over respective control.
Int. J. Cur. Tr. Res (2015)4 (1):82-93
Malarkodi and Manoharan
87
Table-4. Allelopathic effects of aqueous leaf extracts of Parthenium hysterophorus on shoot length (cm/plant) of four crop/weed species
Parthenium hysterophorus
Extract
Concentra
Sesame
Groundnut
Trianthemum
Maize
tion
Control
15DAS
30DAS
45DAS
15DAS
30DAS
45DAS
15DAS
30DAS
45DAS
15DAS
30DAS
45DAS
10.8a
23.5a
41.5a
9.8a
20.5a
37.9a
12.8a
25.4a
45.8a
8.8a
18.5a
34.8a
12.6a
25.8a
44.9a
8.7a
18.5a
35.9a
11.8a
24.9a
43.2a
8.2a
16.3a
30.2a
(-0.92)
(-1.02)
(-0.96)
(-1.08)
(-2.49)
(-1.05)
(-0.52)
(-0.72)
(-0.62)
(-1.68)
(-3.59)
(-2.18)
11.7b
22.5b
39.8b
7.2a
16.8a
32.9a
10.9a
22.0b
41.8b
7.5a
15.8a
27.3
(-1.76)
(-5.61)
(-4.21)
(-2.14)
(-6.47)
(-3.19)
(-1.04)
(-2.67)
(-2.09)
(-5.28)
(-13.40)
(-8.42)
10.4c
20.5c
38.0
7.0b
15.9b
29.4b
10.0c
21.5c
39.8c
7.0b
13.2b
26.2b
(-10.52)
(-21.37)
(-18.53)
(-10.48)
(-17.29)
(-12.52)
(-4.53)
(-7.19)
(-5.28)
(-15.25)
(-25.65)
(-19.18)
8.5d
16.0d
32.8d
6.5c
15.0c
28.9c
9.2d
19.9d
35.9d
6.7c
12.8c
22.5c
(-21.39)
(-32.53)
(-22.96)
(-24.69)
(-34.18)
(-29.17)
(-8.17)
(-23.64)
(-17.56)
(-34.54)
(-44.20)
(-36.67)
7.3e
14.2e
29.4e
5.8d
13.1d
23.5d
8.6e
17.3e
32.0e
5.2d
10.9d
18.7d
(-30.64)
(-51.86)
(-33.49)
(-43.19)
(-59.19)
(-58.27)
(-20.17)
(-37.68)
(-31.28)
(-64.52)
(-72.18)
(-66.28)
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
Mean with different alphabets in a column differed significantly as per Tukey’sMultiple Range Test (TMRT) (P<0.05). Data in parenthesis indicates %
decrease/increase over respective control
Int. J. Cur. Tr. Res (2015)4 (1):82-93
Malarkodi and Manoharan
88
Table-5. Allelopathic effects of aqueous leaf extracts of Parthenium hysterophorus on fresh weight per plant
(gm/plant) of four crop/weed species
Partheniumhysterophorus
Extract
Concentra
Sesame
Groundnut
Maize
Trianthemum
tion
Control
15DAS
30DAS
45DAS
15DAS
30DAS
45DAS
15DAS
30DAS
45DAS
15DAS
30DAS
45DAS
3.6a
7.8a
13.8a
3.2a
6.8a
12.6a
4.2a
8.4a
15.2a
2.9a
6.1a
11.6a
4.2a
8.6a
14.9a
2.9a
6.1a
11.9a
3.9a
8.3a
14.4a
2.7a
5.4a
9.06a
(-0.92)
(-1.02)
(-0.96)
(-1.08)
(-2.49)
(-1.05)
(-0.52)
(-0.72)
(-0.62)
(-1.68)
(-3.59)
(-2.18)
3.9b
7.5b
13.1b
2.4a
5.6a
10.9a
3.6a
7.3a
13.9b
2.5a
5.2a
9.1a
(-1.76)
(-5.61)
(-4.21)
(-2.14)
(-6.47)
(-3.19)
(-1.04)
(-2.67)
(-2.09)
(-5.28)
(-13.40)
(-8.42)
3.4c
6.8c
12.6c
2.3b
5.3b
9.8b
3.3b
7.1c
13.2c
2.3c
4.4c
8.7b
(-10.52)
(-21.37)
(-18.53)
(-10.48)
(-17.29)
(-12.52)
(-4.53)
(-7.19)
(-5.28)
(-15.25)
(-25.65)
(-19.18)
2.8d
5.3d
10.9d
2.1d
5.0d
9.6c
3.0d
6.6d
11.9d
2.2c
4.2c
7.5c
(-21.39)
(-32.53)
(-22.96)
(-24.69)
(-34.18)
(29.17)
(-8.17)
(-23.64)
(-17.56)
(-34.54)
(-44.20)
(-36.67)
2.4e
4.7e
9.8e
1.9d
4.3d
7.8d
2.8e
5.7e
10.6e
1.7d
3.6d
6.2d
(-28.64)
(-48.86)
(-31.49)
(-41.19)
(-57.19)
(-56.27)
(-18.17)
(-35.68)
(-29.28)
(-62.52)
(-70.18)
(-62.28)
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
Mean with different alphabets in a column differed significantly as per Tukey’sMultiple Range Test (TMRT) (P<0.05). Data in parenthesis indicates %
decrease/increase over respective control.
89
Int. J. Cur. Tr. Res (2015)4 (1):82-93
Malarkodi and Manoharan
Table-6 Allelopathic effects of aqueous leaf extracts of Parthenium hysterophorus on dry weight per plant (gm/plant) of four crop/weed species
Partheniumhysterophorus
Extract
Concentr
ation
Control
Sesame
Groundnut
Maize
Trianthemum
15DAS
30DAS
45DAS
15DAS
30DAS
45DAS
15DAS
30DAS
45DAS
15DAS
30DAS
45DAS
3.6a
7.8a
13.8a
3.2a
6.8a
12.6a
4.2a
8.4a
15.2a
2.9a
6.1a
11.6a
4.2a
8.6a
14.9a
2.9a
6.1a
11.9a
3.9a
8.3a
14.4a
2.7a
5.4a
9.06a
(-0.92)
(-1.02)
(-0.96)
(-1.08)
(-2.49)
(-1.05)
(-0.52)
(-0.72)
(-0.62)
(-1.68)
(-3.59)
(-2.18)
3.9b
7.5b
13.1b
2.4a
5.6a
10.9a
3.6a
7.3a
13.9b
2.5a
5.2a
9.1a
(-1.76)
(-5.61)
(-4.21)
(-2.14)
(-6.47)
(-3.19)
(-1.04)
(-2.67)
(-2.09)
(-5.28)
(-13.40)
(-8.42)
3.4c
6.8c
12.6c
2.3b
5.3b
9.8b
3.3b
7.1c
13.2c
2.3c
4.4c
8.7b
(-10.52)
(-21.37)
(-18.53)
(-10.48)
(-17.29)
(-12.52)
(-4.53)
(-7.19)
(-5.28)
(-15.25)
(-25.65)
(-19.18)
2.8d
5.3d
10.9d
2.1d
5.0d
9.6c
3.0d
6.6d
11.9d
2.2c
4.2c
7.5c
(-21.39)
(-32.53)
(-22.96)
(-24.69)
(-34.18)
(29.17)
(-8.17)
(-23.64)
(-17.56)
(-34.54)
(-44.20)
(-36.67)
2.4e
4.7e
9.8e
1.9d
4.3d
7.8d
2.8e
5.7e
10.6e
1.7d
3.6d
6.2d
(-28.64)
(-48.86)
(-31.49)
(-41.19)
(-57.19)
(-56.27)
(-18.17)
(-35.68)
(-29.28)
(-62.52)
(-70.18)
(-62.28)
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
Mean with different alphabets in a column differed significantly as per Tukey’sMultiple Range Test (TMRT) (P<0.05). Data in parenthesis indicates %
decrease/increase over respective control
Int. J. Cur. Tr. Res (2015)4 (1):82-93
Malarkodi and Manoharan
Discussion
In general, leaves are the most potent
source of allelochemicals, however, the toxic
metabolites are also distributed in all other
plant parts in various concentrations. In this
regard, aqueous leaf extracts of Parthenium
hysterophorus L. was evaluated for their
allelopathic potential on germination, seedling
growth, morphologicalcharacters of important
crop plants, Sesamum indicum, Arachis
hypogaea and Zea mays and a weed
Trianthemum
portulacastrum
which
are
commonly cultivated in Vellore District of
Tamil Nadu, India.
Seed germination
Seed is defined as a fertilized ovule, or as a
miniature plant surrounded by food reserve and
protected by seed coat. From the seed, new
generation of the plant begins. To fulfil this
role, seed possesses some special physiological
and biochemical properties. For example, it has
very low water content and metabolic rate but
remains viable and regain the normal
metabolism
required
for
growth
and
development into a plant, when it gets
favourable condition for germination. Seed
germination is considered to be the most
critical stage especially under stress conditions.
Germination is the process by which a plant
grows from a seed. The inhibition of
germination of the four test crops/ weeds was
observed in fifth day with all the treatments
(except for 2 % concentration of sesame).
Results of the present study showed that,
significant inhibition on seed germination was
observed in all the four test plants exposed
with various concentrations of aqueous leaf
extracts of P. hysterophorus.
The similar results were obtained by the
application Eucalyptus leaf extracts on cowpea,
sorghum, pearl millet, wheat, barley, potato,
groundnut, maize, sunflower and mustard (Del
Moral and Muller, 1970; Rao and Reddy, 1984;
Igboanugo, 1988; Suresh and Raj, 1987; Puri
and Khara, 1991 and Jayakumar et al., 1990).
The allelopathic effect of Casuarina and Teak
sp. on other plant species was studied by
number of authors (Almousawi and Al Naib,
1975, 1976; Devasagayam and Ebenezar, 1996;
Huang et al., 1997; Patg et al., 2000 and
Floretine, 2003). These results are accordance
also with the results of Teucrium chamaedrys
(Fioerentino et al., 2009), Sterculia foetida (Usha
Rani et al., 2011), Parthenium hysterophorus
and Chromolaena Odorata (Devi et al., 2014)
Achyrantuhs aspera (Tanveer et al., 2014) and
legume crops (Mondal et al., 2015). Chui-Hua et
90
al. (2007) discussed that extracts were more
harmful to weeds extracts, which may be due to
the presence of allelochemicals such as
alkaloids, amino acids, carbohydrates and
phytohormones at higher concentrations in
shoots. Mishra and Singh (2010) reported that
the extracts of leaf, stem, flower and fruit of
Lantana camara inhibited the seed germination
of Parthenium hysterophorus clearly indicated
that due to the allelochemicals present in the
extracts
adversely
affected
the
seed
germination.
Maximum
seed
germination
observed in control. Earlier works reported that
Parthenium has deadly allelopathic effects on
rice, wheat, chickpea, soyabean and mustard
(Karim and Forzwa, 2010; Biswas, 2010). There
was a gradual decrease in seed germination and
different growth parameter with the increase in
concentration of Parthenium leaf and stem
extracts.
Vigour index
Results from present investigation vigour
index crops/weed plants were gradually
reduced with the concentrations of aqueous leaf
extracts of P. hysterophorus. However the 2 %
concentration of sesame plants showed the
increase of vigour index. Similar results was
also observed from Djanaguiraman et al. (2002)
who found a similar type of result that E.
globule reduced the vigour index in green gram,
black gram and cowpea. A similar inhibitory
effect of Digera muricata on sorghum was
reported by Karthiyayini et al. (2003). Das et al.
(2012) reported that with the increasing the
concentration of leachate of Shorea robusta, the
vigour index of the Cicer aretinum decreased.
The vigour index of all the four seedlings may
be due to reduced seed germination and shoot
length, as vigour index is the product of
germination and seedling growth.
Seedling growth
In the present investigation seedling growth
of crops/weed plants were gradually reduced
with the concentrations of aqueous leaf extracts
of P. hysterophorus. However, the 2 %
concentration of sesame plants showed the
increase of shoot length and root length also.
The studies of the morphology and plant
growth characteristics are fundamental to any
investigation
for
physiological
basis
of
allelopathic potential of plants. In the present
study, inhibition of shoot and root growth of
four crops/weeds upon exposure to allelopathic
plant aqueous leaf extracts may be attributed to
phytochemicals
present
in
Parthenium.
Inhibition of seedling growth in allelopathy
stress conditions may be therefore a result of
91
Malarkodi and Manoharan
decreased ion uptake. Darier (2002) recorded
significant suppression of nutrient uptake by
Vicia faba and Zea mays when treated with
aqueous extract of Eucalyptus rostrata.
Patel et al. (2002) reported that Eucalyptus
trees reduced the growth and yield of wheat
crop. Some acids of the Parthenium may
present in the shoot and which may be involved
in the root and shoot reduction of the crop
plants. Allelopathic effects of compounds are
often observed to occur early in the life cycle,
causing inhibition of seedling growth. Dos
Santosh et al. (2004) reported that the
allelochemicals inhibit absorption of ions. The
reduction of plant growth in the presence of
allelochemicals is associated with the strong
inhibition of mitosis or/and disruption of the
structure of organelles (Gniazdowska and
Bogatek, 2005).
It has been reported that
incorporation
of
Parthenium
residue
significantly reduced shoot growth of different
species of Brassica (Singh et al., 2005) and
concluded that Parthenium dry biomass
considerably depressed germination percentage
and speed of germination index of maize, while
fresh and dry weight of maize were affected
only at higher concentration of dry biomass
used in soil. Further, the root growth was
reduced more than shoot, since the root is the
first organ to come into contact with
phytochemicals
in
the
rhizosphere
(Gniazdowska
and
Bogatek,
2005).
The
phytochemical can reduce cell division or auxin
synthesis that induces the growth of shoot and
roots (Gholami et al., 2011). Mishra (2015)
reported in Lantana camara, the allelopathic
effect of plant growth performance includes
root length, shoot length, intermodal length,
leaf number, fresh weight and dry weight. The
growth parameters were significantly reduced
in seedling which was raised from seeds
pretreated with leaf extracts and leaf leachates
of each concentration.
Dry biomass
The fresh weight and dry weight of
crops/weeds were drastically declined and the
maximum
reduction
was
observed
in
Trianthema plats and maximum shoot length
and root length was observed in 2 %
concentration of Sesame. The inhibitory effects
may be due to the presence of phenolic
compounds in the extracts, which might inhibit
the activity of GA3 (Einhelling, 1986) or inhibit
the synthesis of GA3 and regulate the alpha
amylase production during seed germination
(Chandler et al., 1984). Beres and Kazinczi
(2000) reported that the aqueous shoot extract
of Rumex obsefolius and Asclepias syriaca
reduced the seedling fresh and dry weight of
corn. Phytochemicals present in the extracts
Int. J. Cur. Tr. Res (2015)4 (1):82-93
may inhibit or decrease elongation, expansion
and division of cells which are growth
prerequisite (Qasem and Hil, 1989), also inhibit
absorption of ions (Dos Santosh et al., 2004)
and therefore, resulted in arrested growth of
root and shoot of crop and growth of weed
seedlings. The disruption of growth and
development of crop/weed seedlings during
phytochemical
stress
can
modify
the
mitochondrial respiration leading to decreased
supply of ATP for all energy demanding
processes (Gniazdowska and Bogatek, 2005).
Allelopathic
effects
of
Parthenium
hysterophorus L. aqueous extracts on soybean
(Glycine max L.) and haricot bean (Phaseolus
vulgaris L.) seed germination, shoot and root
growth and dry matter production was reported
by Netsere and Mentesil, 2011. The loss of
seedling dry weight of weeds and rice may be
due to the osmotic effect (Fatemeh et al., 2012).
Smilarly, Acacia auriculiformis and Gliricidia
sepium leaf leachates decreased shoot and root
fresh and dry weights of maize over control
(Oyum, 2007). The reduction of plant growth by
the presence of allelochemicals in the extracts
can exhibit the strong inhibition of mitosis
or/and disruption of the structure of organelles
e.g. nuclei and mitochondria (Gniazdowska and
Bogatek, 2005). The allelochemicals can retard
respiration and photosynthesis, resulting in
decreased ATP production which is bound to
alter other cell processes which are energy
demanding and ultimately (Bogatek et al.,
2002). This concept favors the present findings.
Manimegalai (2013) found that significant
reduction was noticed on fresh and dry biomass
of Vigna mungo and V. radiata exposed to
aqueous extract of Tectona grandis. Arpana
(2014) reported that, aqueous extract of
Lantana camara caused severe inhibitory effect
on seedling length and biomass of Pisum
sativum. This biomass reduction could be the
inhibitory effect of phytochemicals on uptake
of water by seedlings and reduction in other
physiological processes.
Conclusion
Based on these results, it can be concluded
that allelopathy is a concentration development
phenomenon, as increased concentration of the
P. hysterophorus aqueous leaf extract treatment
their potential of allelopathic effects increased
gradually as a detrimental manner. P.
hysterophorus aqueous leaf extracts affected all
the growth parameters (germination, vigour
index, seedling growth, Fresh and dry biomass
studied in the four test crops/weed as
compared to their respective control. Among
the four test plants, the maximum reduction
percentage and biochemical constituents were
observed in Sesame followed by groundnut,
Int. J. Cur. Tr. Res (2015)4 (1):82-93
Malarkodi and Manoharan
maize and Trianthema. However, the 2 % leaf
extract of Sesamun indicum plants exhibited the
marginal increase in all tested parameters.
Further studies into determining the critical
concentration of stimulatory or inhibitory effect
and the interspecies allelopathy would permit
further understanding of how allelopathic
effects may have regulated the establishment of
plant population and the organization of plant
community.
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