Abstract
The allelopathic plant extracts can be applied as soil or foliar bioherbicides and are capable of suppressing germination and growth of several weeds, some of which are herbicide resistant. This study evaluated the allelopathic activity of the aqueous extract of aerial biomass of mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris L.) on seed germination and seedling growth of redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) and maize (Zea mays L.), in order to be applied as a potential bioherbicide. The aqueous extract of mugwort was qualitatively examined for the presence of bioactive compounds and it was applied in a Petri dish and pot bioassays quantifying its effects on redroot pigweed and maize by non-linear regression analyses according the log-logistic model. The aqueous extract of mugwort showed the presence of several bioactive compounds with allelopathic activity, such as polysaccharides, organic acids, flavonoids and terpenoids. The aqueous extract of mugwort, at the concentrations from 7.5% to 10% w/v, were found to be the optimal concentration range since it is able to inhibit seed germination, seedling emergence and plant growth of redroot pigweed, without affecting seed germination and seedling emergence of maize, or rather, stimulating its radicle, mesocotyl and plant’s growth. EC90 values for the seed germination, radicle and hypocotyl length of redroot pigweed were in the order: 6.1% and 8.1%, 3.2% and 6.2%, 3.8% and 5.7% w/v of aqueous extract in the two repeated bioassays, respectively. Due to potential herbicidal activity against weeds and biostimulant action on the crops, this extract could be the ideal solution in an integrated weed management program, in order to suppress weeds, increasing competitive ability of crops.
Highlights
Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the world’s three major cereal crops, ranking second in importance after wheat and before rice as area harvested, and first in importance as yield production, in 2018 [1].The world production of maize was estimated at 1.05 million thousand tons in 2019 and it is considered as a staple food in many parts of the world: the largest producer of maize is the United States of America (USA) contributing about 33% of the total world maize production [2]
The aim of this study was to evaluate the allelopathic activity of the aqueous extract of aerial biomass of mugwort on seed germination and seedling growth of redroot pigweed and maize in order to be applied as a potential bioherbicide
The qualitative chemical analysis of the aqueous extract of mugwort showed the presence of several bioactive compounds with allelopathic activity, such as polysaccharides, organic acids, flavonoids and terpenoids
Summary
Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the world’s three major cereal crops, ranking second in importance after wheat and before rice as area harvested, and first in importance as yield production, in 2018 [1].The world production of maize was estimated at 1.05 million thousand tons in 2019 and it is considered as a staple food in many parts of the world: the largest producer of maize is the United States of America (USA) contributing about 33% of the total world maize production [2]. Agriculture 2020, 10, 642 that play an important role in preventing chronic diseases and it is believed to have potential anti-HIV activity due to the presence of Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) lectin or GNA-maize [5]. It is widely processed into various types of products such as cornmeal, grits, starch, flour, tortillas, snacks and breakfast cereals. Weeds regularly cause important maize crop losses that can reached 90% in the developing countries, such as Africa [3]. Weed control has a major effect on the success of maize growth, because the competition ability of maize is relatively low, especially at early crop growth stages [6]
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