Evaluation of Allelopathic Effects of Rye (Secale cereale L.) Extract on Several Weed Seed Species Properties

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Abstract

Allelopathy is one of the valuable tools in weed management that recently is considered in sustainable agriculture and reduces herbicide rate challenges. In order to study the allelopathic effects of rye (Secale cereal L.) on six weed spices seeds including Milk thistle (Silybum marianum L.) Gaertn, Wimmer ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaudin), Lesser canarygrass (Phalaris minor Retz.), Charlock mustard (Sinapis arvensis L.), Little hogweed (Portulaca oleracea L.) and Field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) a study was carried out as a factorial experiment in a complete randomized design in Weed Library Research, University of Tehran, in 2008. Different weed seeds treated with two kind of rye aqueous extracts (shoots and roots) in six different concentration (zero, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50 and 100). Germination rate, radicle and shoot growth, and seedling weight were evaluated. Results showed that low concentrations of aqueous rye extracts had inducing effect and led to increase in measured weed properties compared with control (distillated water). While high concentrations of aqueous rye extracts had negative effect on studied traits and also the effect of root extracts were higher than shoot extracts. Shoot aqueous extracts of rye in comparison with root extracts showed more negative effects in all studied traits because they probably have more inhibitors.

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