Abstract:
Allelopathy is an important mechanism of interference, affecting crop performance. In this
preliminary study, the aim was the assessment of allelopathic effects on plant growth and
biomass production in a glasshouse. For this evaluation, pot leachates obtained from roots and
plant residues from rotational crops and ryegrass was utilised to determine mutual allelopathic
interactions. Experiment I was set up to determine effects from root leachates from pots planted
to each plant species. For Experiment II, aboveground plant material collected separately, airdried and ground to a coarse powder was utilised to prepare aqueous infusions for testing. At
both three and five weeks, root leachates from alfalfa (-18% and -17%) and medic (-10% and -
9%) caused a reduction in barley plant height. Wheat dry mass production was reduced by
aboveground leachates from barley (-32%), canola (-52%), alfalfa (-76%) and ryegrass (-54%).
Alfalfa root leachates caused a reduction in ryegrass plant height (-16%) at three weeks. The
current preliminary assessment indicated that lupine, alfalfa and medic contain possible
allelochemicals that might be responsible for the inhibition or stimulation exhibited on the
growth and biomass mass production of the selected plant series. Future research should
elucidate the specific allelopathic compounds in these crop plants and its use as mulches that
suppress weeds. |
