Mechanisms Underlying Allelopathic Disturbance of Herbicide Imazethapyr on Wheat and Its Neighboring Ryegrass (Lolium perenne)

Abstract

As representatives of allelopathy, weeds consistently coexist with crops, exhibiting mutual growth inhibition. At the same time, herbicides are usually employed to control weeds. However, few studies have investigated how herbicides will affect allelopathy between crops and their neighboring weeds. Our findings suggested that allelopathic-induced phenotypic variations in ryegrass were reduced in the presence of the herbicide imazethapyr (IM), consistent with the antioxidant system analysis results. Additionally, IM affected the levels of allelochemical hydroxamic acid (Hx) in both plants. Hydroponic experiments revealed that this impact was due to the accelerated transportation of Hx from wheat to ryegrass, driven by ryegrass-secreted jasmonic acid. This study holds paramount significance for comprehending the effects of herbicides on the allelopathic interactions between nontargeted crops and neighboring weeds, contributing to an enhanced understanding of herbicides on plant species interactions.