Effect of aqueous extracts of selected medicinal plants on germination of windgrass [Apera spica-venti (L.) P. Beauv.] and lambsquarters (Chenopodium album L.) seeds

Agnieszka Synowiec,Adriana Nowicka-Połeć

doi:10.5586/aa.1668

Agnieszka Synowiec, Adriana Nowicka-Połeć

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5586/aa.1668

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Journal: Acta Agrobotanica	Publication Date: Jan 1, 2016
Citations: 10	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Agriculture in Krakow, Medicina

Abstract

The study aimed to determine the effect of aqueous extracts of medicinal plants (Matricaria chamomilla, Hypericum perforatum, Achillea millefolium, and Urtica dioica) containing allelopathic compounds on seed germination in lambsquarters (Chenopodium album) and herbicide-resistant windgrass (Apera spica-venti). A Petri-dish experiment was carried out, in which the effects of five concentrations of aqueous extracts on the germination of weeds were assessed for 10 consecutive days. It was found that the dynamics of seed germination are closely related to the type and concentration of aqueous extract of medicinal plants. The 8% U. dioica aqueous extract posed the strongest inhibitory effect, limiting the germination of both lambsquarters and windgrass. Additionally, weed germination was delayed by 12–72 h in the presence of extracts, compared with the control. Summing up, the aqueous extracts of medicinal plants, especially their higher concentrations, pose a desirable inhibiting effect against the germination of lambsquarters and herbicide-resistant windgrass seeds.

Highlights

Biological methods of plant protection against weeds create the new direction of crop protection, which incorporates the phenomenon of allelopathy
Germination in Ch. album and A. spica-venti was significantly reduced by aqueous extracts of H. perforatum and M. chamomilla (Fig. 1), and U. dioica and A. millefolium (Fig. 2), respectively
Aqueous extracts of H. perforatum and M. chamomilla inhibited the germination of Ch. album seeds compared to the control; a detailed statistical analysis of different concentrations of these extracts showed no significant effects on Ch. album seed germination (Tab. 2)

Summary

Introduction

Biological methods of plant protection against weeds create the new direction of crop protection, which incorporates the phenomenon of allelopathy. More and more attention is paid to herbal plants, well known for their medicinal properties [3,4,5]. These plants can be a rich source of allelochemicals effective against weeds [6]. We tested four herbal species, known for their allelopathic effects: Hypericum perforatum [3], Urtica dioica [5,7,8], Achillea millefolium [9,10], and Matricaria chamomilla [4,11].

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