Abstract
The allelopathic effects of fresh shoot aqueous extract of Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A.Gray, an invasive species introduced into Africa from North and Central America, on the growth of seedlings of three woody species: Monodora tenuifolia, Dialium guineense and Hildegardia barteri were investigated. The fresh shoot aqueous extract of Tithonia diversifolia was applied to the established seedlings of the three woody species over a period of ten weeks. The fresh shoot aqueous extract of Tithonia diversifolia had a significant effect (inhibitory and stimulatory) on growth parameters such as shoot hThe allelopathic effects of fresh shoot aqueous extract of Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. Gray, an invasive species introduced into Africa from North and Central America, on the growth of seedlings of three woody species: Monodora tenuifolia, Dialium guineense and Hildegardia barteri were investigated. The fresh shoot aqueous extract of Tithonia diversifolia was applied to the established seedlings of the three woody species over a period of ten weeks. The fresh shoot aqueous extract of Tithonia diversifolia had a significant effect (inhibitory and stimulatory) on growth parameters such as shoot height, leaf area, number of leaves and chlorophyll content of the three woody species.The study revealed that the fresh shoot aqueous extract of Tithonia diversofolia have different effects (inhibitory and stimulatory) on the seedlings and the mode of action depends on the associated woody plant species.eight, leaf area, number of leaves and chlorophyll content of the three woody species.The study revealed that the fresh shoot aqueous extract of Tithonia diversofolia have different effects (inhibitory and stimulatory) on the seedlings and the mode of action depends on the associated woody plant species.
Highlights
The two species of the genus Tithonia, Tithonia diversifolia and Tithonia rotundifolia are native to North and Central America from where they have been introduced to Africa
The seedlings of the of D. guineense and H. barteri were collected from the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), Ibadan, Nigeria, while the seedlings of M. tenuifolia and the top soil used for the study were collected from the reforestation project site of the Department of Botany, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
The analysis of variance for the seedlings growth parameters that were measured during the growing period, before extract application, revealed that H. barteri had a significantly higher mean shoot height and mean leaf area (p
Summary
The two species of the genus Tithonia, Tithonia diversifolia and Tithonia rotundifolia are native to North and Central America from where they have been introduced to Africa They belong to the tribe Heliatheae and the family Asteraceae. They have become naturalized in Southern Africa, while Tithonia diversifolia was naturalized in West Africa (Moughalu and Chuba, 2005) In these areas, the species have established themselves as serious weeds of arable crop, plantations, abandoned lawns and roadsides. The species have established themselves as serious weeds of arable crop, plantations, abandoned lawns and roadsides They are aggressive colonizers of new sites, colonizing every available sunny space with highwater table. The present study aims to investigate the effects of the fresh shoot aqueous extract of Tithonia diversifolia on the growth of the seedlings of three woody plant species namely Monodora tenuifolia, Dialium guineense and Hildegardia barteri
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