Abstract

Euphorbia hirta is commonly found in all tropical regions of the world, as invasive weed with an adverse effect on other plants. The current study features two important aspects: (i), Effects of E. hirta roots exudates (0, 50, 75 and 100% concentrations) (ii), Influence of PEG 6000 “Polyethylene glycol” (8, 16 and 40 g/l concentrations) on germination and growth criterion of Cicer arietinum (Chick pea) and Phaseolus vulgaris (French bean). In this regard osmotic potential of all the solutions have been balanced. It is observed that the root leachates of spurge weed significantly (p < 0.05) affected the germination rate while PEG has no positive or negative effect on growth activity. The growth parameters in both crops have altered by spurge weed and PEG solutions while highest inhibition was recorded in root length root exudates (3.5 cm) of C. arietinum which is in contrast to PEG (11.97 cm), this might be due to the presence of allelochemicals. The prescribed treatments also raised their pH values, where highest pH (7.9) obtained from 100% spurge weed induction which is relatively a stronger basic nature rather than neutral control samples. Comparative studies of both test crops shows that C. arietinum has appeared to be more influential than P. vulgaris. Two-way ANOVA has produced a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the effects of both treatments on germination and growth of test crops while within group (concentrations of each treatment) are weakly significant (p < 0.1) to each other. This would rather intimates that the inhibition has strongly emerged as an allelopathic response on Cicer arietinum and Phaseolus vulgaris plants by the induction of spurge weed (Euphorbia hirta) root exudates.

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