Allelopathic influence of common buckwheat root residues on selected weed species

Magdalena Szwed,Marcin Horbowicz,Dorota Szawara-Nowak,Wiesław Wiczkowski,Ralph L Obendorf

doi:10.1007/s11738-019-2885-y

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine if common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) root residues (BRR) in soil are effective in limiting the growth and metabolic responses of barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.), wind grass (Apera spica-venti L.), cleavers (Galium aparine L.), and tiny vetch (Vicia hirsuta L.). After removal of above ground parts, BRR of 14-day-old buckwheat plants remained in soil for an additional 7 days when the weeds were seeded. After 30 days of growth, biomass of above ground parts of the weeds as well as free and bound phenolic acids and flavonoids were determined. Antioxidant capacity and peroxidase activity were measured in barnyard grass and cleavers. The biomass of 30-day-old plants of barnyard grass and cleavers grown in bare soil was approximately 5- and 3.5-fold higher, respectively, than in plants grown in the presence of BRR. BRR did not affect the biomass of wind grass and tiny vetch plants, but activate the antioxidant response, increase in peroxidase activity, and the content of phenolic compounds in weed tissues, which indicates an adaptation to the stressful environmental conditions.

Highlights

The influence of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) on other plants has been known for hundreds of years (Tominaga and Uezu 1995; Kalinova et al 2005; Golisz et al 2007b, reviewed by Falquet et al 2015)
Buckwheat root residues (BRR) present in the soil inhibited growth of barnyard grass and cleavers, no effect was observed in wind grass, and the mean weight of tiny vetch plants increased by buckwheat root residues (BRR) in soil (Fig. 1)
The results of our research show the reduction of biomass of two weed species, barnyard grass and cleavers, under the influence of buckwheat root residues (BRR), and the lack of that effect when residues of entire plants of buckwheat occurred in soil (Fig. 1)

Summary

Introduction

The influence of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) on other plants has been known for hundreds of years (Tominaga and Uezu 1995; Kalinova et al 2005; Golisz et al 2007b, reviewed by Falquet et al 2015). Buckwheat tissues contain numerous compounds with potential allelopathic properties (Iqbal et al 2002; Kalinova et al 2007; Golisz et al 2007a). Various phenolic acids and flavonoids are responsible for the weed suppressive activity of buckwheat (Kalinova et al 2005; Golisz et al 2007b; Kalinova and Vrchotova 2009). It has been reported that the suppression of some weeds is caused by the light competition of rapidly growing buckwheat plants (Bicksler and Masiunas 2009; Björkman and Shail 2013)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion