engleski

Herbicidal effect of Ailanthus altissima leaves water extracts on Medicago sativa seeds germination

Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle is a deciduous tree native to Southeast Asia, and one of the worst invasive plant species in Europe and North America. A feature probably contributing to its invasiveness is a production of a secondary metabolites, one of which ailanthone, is shown in several studies to have, amongst other, a herbicidal effect on many plant species. In this study we have tested the herbicidal effect of A. altissima leaves water extracts on Medicago sativaL. seed germination. M. sativa has been shown in previous studies to be sensitive to A. altissima extracts. The main phytotoxic compound in A. altissima was previously shown to be ailanthone, although probably it is not the only one. Water extracts of leaves have been prepared and diluted to multiple concentrations in order to assess the relation between the extract concentration and the intensity of herbicidal activity. The obtained data showed that there was a significant difference between the emergence of treated and untreated seeds, precisely, the emergence of seeds treated with the highest concentration was on average 30% lower than control. These results were expected and consistent with the previous observations of ailanthone being phytotoxic to a wide variety of plants, causing germination inhibition and injuries in older plants. The data available so far show great promise for the possible future applications of ailanthone as a natural product herbicide.

Ailanthus altissima; invasive species; herbicide effect; germination; ailanthone

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