Abstract
In this study, Artemisia biennis was seeded in a greenhouse and raised to an average plant height of 100 cm. Aboveground plant portions were harvested and partitioned into leaves and stems, and dried; while roots were either removed from some soil (soil – roots) or left in soil (soil + roots). Greenhouse studies were conducted to evaluate the allelopathic potential of A. biennis leaves, roots, and stems; and soil – roots, and soil + roots on Solanum melanocerasum plant height and fresh weight plant–1. When 5 g of root and stem biomass were added to soil, S. melanocerasum plant height and fresh weight plant–1 was reduced by 75 and 88%, respectively. In contrast, 5 g of leaf biomass caused an increase in S. melanocerasum plant height and fresh weight plant–1 by 35% and 43%, respectively; whereas, 20 g of leaf biomass depressed both variables by 50% and 65%, also respectively. Plant height was more suppressed when S. melanocerasum grew in soil – roots as opposed to soil + roots, whereas fresh weight plant–1 was similar between soil treatments. S. melanocerasum plant height was reduced by 70 and 55% when grown in soil – roots and soil + roots, respectively. In contrast, S. melanocerasum fresh weight plant–1 was reduced by 76% in both soil treatments. The reduction in S. melanocerasum plant attributes in this study is indicative of the allelopathic potential of A. biennis. Furthermore, A. biennis allelopathy is differenttially expressed among plant parts, primarily in roots. This may explain how A. biennis is capable of dominating a habitat once it becomes established. The presence of extractable compounds with herbicidal activity could increase the potential usefulness of A. biennis.
Highlights
Artemisia biennis is native to northwest U.S and western Canada [1] and has spread and become a problem in several crops in the United States, Southern Canada, and Europe [2,3]
A significant effect was detected among blocks (P = 0.0189) for S. melanocerasum fresh weight plant–1 but this effect accounted for only 1.6% of the total variation
Increasing the amount of A. biennis root and stem biomass added to soil from 5 to 20 g resulted in 88% or greater reduction in S. melanocerasum fresh weight plant–1 compared to the untreated control (Figure 1)
Summary
Artemisia biennis is native to northwest U.S and western Canada [1] and has spread and become a problem in several crops in the United States, Southern Canada, and Europe [2,3]. The successful spread of A. biennis has been largely attributed to the production of numerous seeds, estimated to be between 400,000 to one million per plant [4,5], which are very small and spread by wind or water. A. biennis can form large patches that can adversely affect surrounding vegetation and which is suspected to be via its allelopathic potential. Unlike other Artemisia species, A. biennis has become an established weed of several cropping systems and is suspected to be expanding its habitat range which warranted its placement on a “Weeds to Watch” list by several scientists of the North Central States of the United States [11]
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