A Weed diversity and Comparative Allelopathic Effects of Extracts of Trianthema portulacastrum L., Portulaca oleracea L. and Boerhavia diffusa L. on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Hibiscus cannabinus L.

Bommana Kavitha^1* and Shaik Basha²

School of Life sciences, Department of Botany, Rayalaseema University, Kurnool, AP., India.

Corresponding Author E-mail: kavithab15@gmail.con

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CARJ.12.3.19

Abstract:

This study examines the diversity of weeds and the allelopathic impact of selected weed extracts on the seed germination and seedling development of Hibiscus cannabinus L., a leafy vegetable from the Malvaceae family. Field observations were conducted from March to June 2023 in B. Thandrapadu, a village in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district. We identified 34 weed species belonging to 16 families with varied important value index (IVI). Trianthema portulacastrum exhibited the highest IVI at 27.11%, followed by Portulaca oleracea 15.59%, Boerhavia diffusa 15.54%, Cynodon dactylon 14.54% and Parthenium hysterophorus 14.52%. Allelopathy effect of aqueous extracts of the top three weeds at varying concentrations on seed germination and seedling performance of H. cannabinus was assessed. All three weed species demonstrated the strong allelopathic effect on seed germination and seedling growth at 100% concentration and the weakest at 25%. Comparatively, T. portulacastrum showed a more pronounced effect than the other two weed species. Therefore, environmentally sustainable and appropriate weed management strategies are necessary for the agricultural sector during the initial stages or prior to crop planting.

Keywords:

Allelopathic effect; Hibiscus cannabinus L.; Important Value Index; Seed germination; Seedling growth; Weed diversity

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