Effects of Eucalyptus Globulus Leat Extract on Germination Response and Seedling Growth of Five Wheat Species
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Date
2016-07
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Several volatile and water-soluble toxins were found in Eucalyptus tissues. Cineole and a-pinene, both highly toxic terpenes, were found adsorbed to colloidal soil particles of the litter and bare zones. Adsorbed terpenes were toxic to germinating seeds and seedlings. Eucalyptus is representative of a wide variety of plants capable of establishing gradients of toxicity in an otherwise relatively uniform environment. Such gradients drastically alter the species composition and thus are highly important to the study of vegetation composition. Allelopathic factors interact dramatically with other environmental factors and must be considered as a part of the environmental complex. The leaf litters were collected from 8-year old eucalyptus plantation from Dejazmach Wondirad Preparatory School compound in Addis Ababa Yeka sub city. Leaf litters were washed and dried for two weeks, ground and stored at room temperature. Good quality seeds of five popular wheat varieties (Triticum aestivum, Triticum durum, Triticum dicoccum, Triticum polonicum, and Triticum turgidum ) were obtained from Ethiopian Institute of Biodiversity. The seeds were collected from different regions of Ethiopia.
The experiment was set in North of Addis Ababa, Yeka Sub city Tafo residence area.
The allelopathic influence of aqueous extracts of Eucalyptus on the germination and seedling growth (fresh and dry weight) of wheat have been determined.
It was noted that aqueous extracts at a concentration of 10%, 15% and 20% had inhibitory effect on wheat germination and the effect was found significantly higher than control treatment. Fresh and dry weight of seedling was also reduced significantly over control. The inhibitory effects were increased as the extract concentration increased. These finding indicates that wheat seeds sown in fields which had leaf litter of Eucalyptus will be adversely affected regarding germination, growth and ultimately resulting in lower yields of wheat.
Key words: Allelochemicals, Allelopathy, Eucalyptus, Litter, phytotoxins
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Keywords
Allelochemicals, Allelopathy, Eucalyptus, Litter, phytotoxins