The present study reveals the allelopathic effect of aqueous leaf extracts of Putranjiva roxburghii Wall. on seed germination and early growth stages of an economically important plant chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Aqueous leaf extracts at 0, 5, 10, 15, 25, 35, 50, 75 and 100% concentrations were applied to determine their effect on seed germination and early growth stages under laboratory conditions. Laboratory-based experiments with three replicates were used to arrange treatments accordingly. After 5 days of incubation the rate of seed germination, radicle length and hypocotyls length etc. of chickpea seeds were observed after treatment with aqueous leaf extracts. Highest inhibitory effect was noticed in 100% of aqueous leaf extract. Results indicated that the inhibitory effect was proportional to the concentration of the extracts. The water soluble leaf extracts contain allelochemicals, which inhibit the seed germination and reduced the early growth of chickpea.

The present study reveals the allelopathic effect of aqueous leaf and root extracts of Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit. and Leucas cephalotes (Roth) Spreng. on seed germination and early growth of Oryza sativa ‘Gobindobhog.’ Leaf and root extracts at different concentrations (0.5%, 1%, 2.5%, 4%, and 5%) were used to study the effect in laboratory-based experiments. After 5 days of incubation, seed germination and root and shoot length of rice seedlings were measured, and both H. suaveolens and L. cephalotes showed allelopathic effects on seed germination and growth parameters. Hyptis suaveolens showed a more pronounced effect at 5% concentration of aqueous leaf and root extracts than L. cephalotes . The inhibitory effects were as follows: root length > seed germination > shoot length. Both H. suaveolens and L. cephalotes impede seed germination and early growth of rice by releasing water-soluble allelochemicals from their leaves and roots.

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The genus Arenga belongs to the Arecaceae family, which has a significant economic value. Several species of this genus have a decent potential of becoming an industrial crop. In India, four species of the genus, namely Arenga pinnata, A. obtusifolia, A. micranta, and A. wightii have been reported. These species have not been cultivated on a commercial scale in most of the growing regions. People use this plant directly from the forest or those produced in their backyard, even though productivity is minimal. To date, several studies from throughout the world have reported numerous beneficial roles of such species. Proper use of such plants or their products has immense significance in the food, fiber, and pharmaceutical industry. These plants are also recognized as ecologically significant plants. In this article, we have presented an up‐to‐date review on the species of Arenga reported from India along with their potential utility as industrial crops. This review is motivated by the desire to produce many eco‐friendly resources from A. pinnata and other species of Arenga, which can contribute to an increase in the standard of living and economy of many nations, including India. Practical applications Arenga has a lot of potential as medicinal as well as industrial raw materials. Despite this, these plants are somehow underutilized and have not gained much attention in international trade. In this communication, we have presented some aspects of these plants by reviewing many research articles and conference proceedings. The utilization of these plants as traditional medicine serves an important part in basic health care for many people in developing nations. Gradual study and clinical trial of different formulations of these plants can explore novel drugs for some critical disorders. We also highlighted the industrial uses of these species. Biofuel and fiber obtained from A. pinnata have been appreciated by the researchers. This article points out some attributes of these plants that required further improvement. Botanists and phytochemists will appreciate the description of the medicinal properties of these plants and the biological data provided in the article.

This study assessed flower-visitor assemblages, breeding system and pollination of Elaeocarpus floribundus Blume (Elaeocarpaceae) which is widely distributed throughout Asian countries. As soon as flowers opened, an array of flower visitors including members of Diptera, Hymenoptera and Thysanoptera visited flowers for their forage.The members of Diptera (82.6%) were the dominant visitors in comparison to Hymenoptera (10.4%) and Thysanoptera (7.0%). The flower visitor frequency, activity rate and index of visitation rate revealed that Chrysomya sp., Musca domestica and Eristalinus sp. of Diptera acted as potential pollinators. Self-incompatibility index and reproductive efficacy were 0.53 and 0.35 respectively, indicating incomplete selfcompatibility. Hand pollination showed significantly higher fruit set in xenogamous pollination (36%) than open pollination (12.82%). A detailed understanding of such flower-visitor interactions will be helpful in the conservation and sustenance of the species as well as biodiversity.

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Background: Agroforestry might be a better strategy for sustainable land use and crop production. Allelopathic effect of Streblus asper Lour. (Moraceae) an agroforestry tree species was documented on chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seed germination and seedling growth. Methods: The present study was conducted to evaluate the allelopathic potentialities of different concentrations (0.125%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.5% and 5%) of aqueous leaf extracts of S. asper on seed germination and seedling growth in laboratory based experiments. The allelopathic potentialities were studied based on seed germination, germination rate, root length, shoot length, biomass, seed vigor index etc. Result: The inhibitory effect was more pronounced with the increasing concentrations of aqueous extracts. 5% aqueous leaf extracts showed a maximum inhibitory effect on seed germination, root length, shoot length, dry weight of root and shoot as compared to control. Based on the allelopathic index, concentrations of 5% aqueous extract showed a strong inhibitory effect. Aqueous leaf extracts contain water-soluble allelochemicals which affect the seed germination and seedling growth. The inhibitory allelopathic effect can be taken as serious consideration before plantation of chickpea in an association of this tree species because of its inhibitory effect on seed germination and early stages of development.