Allelopathic Effects of Alfalfa Plant Residues on Emergence and Growth of Cucumber Seedlings

Ells, James E.; McSay, Ann E.

doi:10.21273/hortsci.26.4.368

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 5 publications

(5 reference statements)

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“…The high cover and phytomass of lucerne in the first years caused weed suppression by increased shading of the soil surface (Güsewell & Edwards 1999), and/or the competitive exclusion of short‐lived weeds (Bischoff, Auge & Mahn 2005). An allelopathic effect of lucerne may be responsible for low weed cover: Ells & McSay (1991) showed that lucerne leaf extract (containing phenolic allelochemicals) was detrimental to germination and differentiation of susceptible plants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lucerne‐dominated fields recover native grass diversity without intensive management actions

Török¹,

Kelemen²,

Valkó³

et al. 2010

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary1. Spontaneous succession is often underappreciated in restoration after the cessation of intensive agricultural management. Spontaneous succession could improve the success of restoration programmes, and offers a cost-effective option with little active intervention. 2. We studied the spontaneous recovery of loess grasslands in extensively managed lucerne Medicago sativa fields mown twice a year using space for time substitutions to highlight the importance of spontaneous processes in grassland restoration. 3. With increasing field age a gradual replacement of lucerne by perennial native grasses and forbs and increase of mean species richness was detected. As the age of fields increased, lucerne decreased from 75% to 2% of total vegetation cover, whereas perennial graminoids increased from 0AE5 to 50% cover. Mean total cover showed no significant differences between the age groups; weed cover was less than 10%. 4. The phytomass of lucerne was negatively correlated with graminoid phytomass. As the age of the fields increased, lucerne phytomass decreased and grass phytomass increased. We found a negative correlation between litter and forb phytomass but there was no relationship with the age of the field. There was no litter accumulation and no increase of mean total phytomass as the age of fields increased. 5. Synthesis and applications. Native grasses within loess grasslands recovered within 10 years, but characteristic native forbs remained rare. The advantages of spontaneous succession in lucerne fields compared to technical reclamation include: (i) no early stages dominated by weeds, (ii) minimal litter accumulation, (iii) a spontaneous decrease in lucerne over time, and (iv) negligible cost. In addition, the requirement for twice yearly mowing in the early years will guarantee farmer involvement because of the high forage value of lucerne. The complete restoration of species rich grasslands will require more active management such as propagule transfer by hay and ⁄ or moderate grazing to encourage the return of native forbs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lucerne‐dominated fields recover native grass diversity without intensive management actions

Török¹,

Kelemen²,

Valkó³

et al. 2010

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), carrot (Daucus carota L.), and cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) are the most commonly used species for the bioassays (Ells & McSay 1991;Macıìas et al 1999;Xuan et al 2004;Arowosegbe & Afolayan 2012), as they are sensitive plants to phytotoxins and germinate uniformly. Vyvyan (2002) suggested that barnyardgrass is suitable for the study of allelopathy in rice but both monoand dicotyledonous plants should be used in bioassays to assess the potential selectivity of the agents.…”

Section: Allelopathic Effect Of Methanol Extracts From Tinospora Tubementioning

confidence: 99%

Allelopathic effect of methanol extracts fromTinospora tuberculataon selected crops and rice weeds

Aslani

Juraimi

Ahmad-Hamdani

et al. 2014

Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil & Plant Sc

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Herbicidal potential of aerial parts of Tinospora tuberculata on germination and seedling growth of seven test plant species, namely rice (Oryza sativa L.); two rice weeds, barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli L.) and weedy rice (O. sativa f. spontanea); and four vegetable crops, lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), carrot (Daucus carota L.), and cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) were evaluated. Six concentrations of methanol extract (3.12, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 g L −1 ) were compared with the control (distilled water). The rate of seed germination and the radicle and hypocotyl length of 7-day-old test plant seedlings were reduced as the concentration of extracts increased compared to the control. Generally, the degree of toxicity of extracts derived from the leaves was more than the extracts derived from the stem. Cluster analysis and the concentrations required for 50% inhibition (defined as EC 50 ) of all parameters showed that radicle growth was more suppressed than germination and hypocotyl growth. Lettuce and carrot were observed as the most sensitive plants while rice showed the highest tolerance to both extracts. Moreover, the dicot target plants were affected more severely than the monocots when treated with leaf extract. The chemical composition of the T. tuberculata methanolic extracts was analyzed by a GC-MS system. A total of 92 and 22 constituents (not previously identified) were found in the leaves and stem, respectively. The results showed that 17 of the 92 components in the leaves, as compared to 4 of 22 compounds in the stem, are known as toxic compounds. These results suggest that T. tuberculata contains a significant source of plant growth inhibitors with potential for the development of future natural herbicide.

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“…Allelopathic effects of alfalfa plant residues on emergence and growth of seedlings have been reported. Alfalfa extracts inhibited seed germination in cotton (Megie et al, 1967), corn (Guenzi et al, 1964), and cucumber (Ells and McSay, 1991). Biological activity possibly could contribute to poor germination in the unincubated medium.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Incubation also will prevent allelopathic interactions between amendment and the germinating seedlings. Allelopathic effects of alfalfa plant residue on seed germination and growth of cucumber seedlings have been reported (Ells and McSay, 1991). Selection of a particular kind and rate of organic amendment should be made based on cost-effectiveness and effects on medium pH and EC, seed germination, plant height, stem diameter, chlorophyll content, plant biomass, and sustainability of the product.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alfalfa-based Organic Amendment in Peat-compost Growing Medium for Organic Tomato Transplant Production

Nair¹,

Ngouajio²,

Biernbaum³

2011

horts

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In the last decade, organic production has been the fastest growing segment in U.S. agriculture. With increase in organic acreages there is a strong and growing demand for organically grown transplants. As a result of limited commercial availability of certified vegetable transplants, growers often produce their transplants on-farm. Commercial organic mixes for organic transplant production may not be locally available and are usually expensive. Growers often design their own mixes using compost and other organic amendments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incorporation of alfalfa-based amendment in a peat-compost medium for organic tomato transplant production. Growing medium of 2 peat:1 vermiculite:1 compost (by volume) was amended with 0%, 0.6%, 1.2%, 1.8%, or 2.4% weight by weight of alfalfa-based organic amendment and incubated for 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks. Medium pH and electrical conductivity (EC), seed germination (untreated Solanum Lycopersicon L. ‘Mountain Fresh’ seed), transplant dry weight, height, stem diameter, and SPAD values were measured. Medium pH increased with addition of alfalfa-based amendment but remained within the range of 5.5 to 7.0. Germination percentages were less than 50% in amended medium that was either not incubated or incubated for 4 weeks. Germination was greater than 75% if amended media were incubated for 1, 2, or 3 weeks. Seeds grown in peat-compost without any amendments had the highest germination rates; however, severe nutrient deficiency suppressed seedling growth. Relative to growth in medium with no amendments, plants growing in the amended medium had increased stem diameter, height, leaf chlorophyll content, and plant dry weight (90% to 160% more), provided the amended medium was incubated for at least 1 week. Application rate of 0.6% or 1.2% of alfalfa-based amendment produced transplants with suitable growth characteristics and met commercially acceptable standards for transplanting and handling at a reasonable estimated cost.

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Allelopathic Effects of Alfalfa Plant Residues on Emergence and Growth of Cucumber Seedlings

Cited by 15 publications

References 5 publications

Lucerne‐dominated fields recover native grass diversity without intensive management actions

Lucerne‐dominated fields recover native grass diversity without intensive management actions

Allelopathic effect of methanol extracts fromTinospora tuberculataon selected crops and rice weeds

Alfalfa-based Organic Amendment in Peat-compost Growing Medium for Organic Tomato Transplant Production

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