Abstract
Allelopathic potential of aqueous extracts of lantana ( Lantana camara L. ) leaf on germination and growth of three agricultural crops: Maize, Finger millet and Tef, commonly cultivated in Ethiopia were studied under laboratory condition. The aqueous extracts were assayed at 5, 10, 25, 50 and 75% and their allelopathic effects were compared with distilled water (control). All the aqueous extracts did not significantly influence germination of the agricultural crops except 75% extract which significantly reduced germination of tef. All the leaf extracts stimulated root growth of maize and finger millet plants with the effect being declined with rise of concentration. In contrast, tef plants had reduced root growth in various leaf extracts with the highest reduction occurring at higher concentrations (25, 50 and 75%). The shoots of maize plants were also stimulated by all extract concentrations; whereas shoot growth of both tef and finger millet were not significantly affected by the leaf extracts. The results generally showed that lantana leaf extracts had stimulatory effects on early growth of maize and finger millet and inhibitory effects on tef growth. Keywords : Finger millet, Maize, Root growth, Shoot growth, Tef.
Highlights
Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae), a fast-growing woody thicket-forming shrub, is native to tropical and sub-tropical South and Central America and currently widely distributed in many countries including Ethiopia (Binggeli and Dessissa, 2002; Zalucki et al, 2007)
As compared to the control, lantana leaf extracts had no significant effects (P > 0.07) on seed germination of the agricultural crops except at 75% extract concentration where seed germination of tef was significantly reduced (P < 0.01) by 13.5%
Root and Shoot Growth of the Agricultural Crops Root and shoot growths of the agricultural crops grown under various concentrations of aqueous extracts of lantana leaf are presented in table 1
Summary
Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae), a fast-growing woody thicket-forming shrub, is native to tropical and sub-tropical South and Central America and currently widely distributed in many countries including Ethiopia (Binggeli and Dessissa, 2002; Zalucki et al, 2007). The species may reach 3 m in height within 3 to 4 years and often forms dense thicket. It can aggressively establish in open forest lands, plantations, farmlands and wastelands. The different parts of lantana contain allelochemicals mainly aromatic alkaloids and phenolic compounds (Ambika et al, 2003) which can interfere with seed germination and early growth of many plant species (Sahid and Sugau, 1993; Gentle and Duggin, 1997; Sharma et al, 2005; Ahmed et al, 2007). Lantana can interfere growth of nearby plants by outcompeting for soil nutrients (Dobhal, et al, 2010) and altering microenvironment (e.g. light, temperature) by forming dense thickets (Sharma and Raghubanshi, 2007). Despite its recognition as among the Momona Ethiopian Journal of Science (MEJS), V6(1):111-119, 2014 ©CNCS, Mekelle University, ISSN:2220-184X
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