Scholarly Journal of Agricultural Science Vol. 4(7), pp. 427-431 July, 2014 Available online at http:// www.scholarly-journals.com/sjas ISSN 2276-7118 2014 Scholarly-Journals Full Length Research Paper Allelopathic impact of Phragmites karka on seed germination and radical and plumule growth of wheat variety sirin-2007 Fazal Hadi 1*, Syeda Naila 1, Muhammad Ibrar 2, Barkatullah 2 and Abdur Rashid 1 1 Center of Plant Biodiversity University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan 2 Department of Botany, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan Accepted 15 June, 2014 Phragmites karka is growing as tough weed grass almost everywhere in Pakistan. Experiment was conducted in laboratory conditions to analyze the allelopathic impact of Phragmites karka on wheat variety Sirin-2007 during year 2013 in Center of Plant Biodiversity, University of Peshawar, Pakistan. 5 g and 10 g powdered material was prepared from roots, stem, leaves and inflorescence of Phragmites karka separately. Each of the powder was soaked for 24 h and 48 h in distilled water to obtain the extracts, which were then applied on seeds of wheat in petridishes. After 72 h the data was collected, this indicated that roots extracts significantly affected the percentage seedling germination and growth of plumule and radical of test species. The roots were more allelopathic followed inflorescence, stem and leaves. Key words: Allelopathic impact, Phragmites karka, roots more allelopathic, wheat seedling germination and plumule and radicle growth reduced. INTRODUCTION The word allelopathy is derived from allelon, means "each other," and "pathos," means "to suffer." Allelopathy is defined as the direct or indirect and harmful or beneficial effects of one plant on the other through the release of chemical compounds into the environment. Allelopathic plants can effect the growth, productivity and vegetation patterning of other plant species growing in their vicinity (Norton et al., 2008; Samreen et al., 2009; Hadi et al., 2013). Allelochemicals are the subsets of secondary metabolites not required for metabolism (growth and development) of the allelopathic organism. The negative allelopathic effects are important part of plant defense against herbivory (Stamp 2003). Allelochemicals can show different modes of action on other plants. The delay and reduce of seeds germination and/or inhibition of root and shoot growth are the first visible symptoms of allelopathy stress (Ahmad and Bano, 2013). Phragmites karka Retz is a tough and problematic grass spreading by meters long runners on soil surface. It * Corresponding author Email: hadibotany@yahoo.com. occurs mostly on waterlogged and saline areas or along the swamps, shallow water lakes, streams, ditches and irrigation canals or on dry barren lands. However, it withstands heavy floods and is an excellent stabilizer of eroding river banks (Rose -Innes, 1977). In the present study the allelopathic potential of Phragmites karka was explored by using wheat as test species. MATERIALS AND METHODS Phragmites karka was taken in the summer 2013 from the Botanical Garden of University of Peshawar and the roots, stems, leaves and inflorescence were separately places in shade for air dry. The parts were separately crushed to obtain the powders. To check the effect of plant material and soaking durations, 5 and 10 g each of crushed roots, stems, leaves and inflorescence were separately soaked in 100 ml distilled water for 24 and 48 h respectively at 25 C. The materials were filtered to obtain the respective extracts. At the same time ten seeds of test species (wheat variety sirin-2007) were placed on two folds of filter paper in Petri dishes and moistured with the respective extracts. Distilled water
Scholarly J. Agric. Sci. 428 Table 1. ANOVA for percent seedlings germination. SOV D.f SS MS F. Value P. Value Replication 4 1574 393.5 2.66 0.0388 Extract portion 4 5274 1318.5 8.9262 0.0000 Concentration 1 1024 1024 6.9325 0.0102 AB 4 1566 391.5 2.65 0.0395 Duration 1 196 196 1.3269 0.25 AC 4 634 158.5 1.07 0.3758 BC 1 16 16 0.1083 ABC 4 54 13.5 0.0914 Error 76 11226 147.711 Total 99 21564 Coefficient of Variation: 20.06%. Germination Percentage 85 80 Percentage 75 70 65 60 55 45 Figure 1. Extract portion and concentration interaction was used as a control. Each treatment had five replicates. The percentage germination, growth of plumule and radicle (mm) were measured. All the results were statistically analyzed by using MSTATC tests. RESULTS The experiment was conducted in the Ecophysiology lab of Center of Plant Biodiversity, University of Peshawar, to analyze the allelopathic significance of Phragmites karka on wheat variety Sirin-2007 in the year 2013. The study indicated the presence of allelochemicals in the roots, stem, leaves and inflorescence of Phragmites karka that inhibited and reduced the germination and seedling growth of wheat. The data presented in ANOVA table 1 for percentage seedlings germination revealed that there were significant differences among the values of different treatments. The highest percent germination was obtained by control condition while the lowest was found in root treatment. Hadi et al., 2013 supports our findings that seed germination reduced by the application of root extracts of Desmostachya bipinnata on two wheat varieties. All the interactions were insignificantly different except interaction between extract portion and concentration. Figure 1 indicates that interaction effect was significant only in root and stem extracts with different concentrations whereas leaves, inflorescence and control had no significant effect with interaction to concentration. The extract portion significantly reduces the seed germination as compare to. It is clear that as the concentration of plant material increased (from 5 g to 10 g) the allelopathic potential also increased (table 1). The data in ANOVA table 2 regarding radical length indicates that there was significant differences among the
Hadi et al. 429 Table 2. ANOVA for radical length. SOV D.F S.S M.S F. Value P. Value Replication 4 2.260 57.565 0.8097 Extract portion 4 13294.960 3323.960 46.7496 0.000 Concentration 1 441 441 6.2028 0.0149 AB 4 269.8 67.4 0.9487 Duration 1 256 256 3.6007 0.0616 AC 4 188.2 47.0 0.6618 BC 1 729 729 10.2537 0.0020 ABC 4 1685.6 421.0 5.9271 0.0003 Error 76 53.3 71.097 Total 99 22498.160 Coefficient of variation= 20.93% Radical Length 55 45 24 hr 48 hr Duration Figure 2. Concentration and duration interaction. values of different treatments. The highest radical length was shown by control while the lowest radical length was shown by root extract. The effect of the concentration was significantly different while that of duration was insignificant. The interaction of extract portion and concentration and of extract portion and duration were insignificant. While the interactions between concentration and duration and extract portion, concentration and duration were significantly different (Figure 2). Many researchers found reduction in radical growth of different seeds in their allelopathic studies i.e. Hamayun et al., (2005), Shahid et al., (2005), Tanveer et al., (2005), Khan et al., (2006) and Anjum and Bajwa (2007). The 48 hr interaction caused reduce radical length as compared to other interactions. The interaction effect was significant in 24 h with different concentrations while 48 h had no significant effect with interaction to different concentrations. The 10 gm concentration showed reduced radical length as compared to. Ullah et al. (2010) and Hadi et al. (2013) support our findings that increase in plant material increases the allelopathic effect. The data presented in ANOVA table 3 for plumule length showed significant differences among the values of different treatments. The highest and the lowest plumule length were recorded in control and root treatments respectively. The effect of the concentrations and durations on plumule length was not significant (Figure 3). All the interactions were not significant except the interaction between extract portion and concentration (Figure 4). Ullah et al., (2010) and Hadi et al., (2013) found that plumule length showed negative response in germination and growth to root extracts. Their findings are coinciding with our results.
Scholarly J. Agric. Sci. 4 Table 3. ANOVA for Plumule Length SOV D.F S.S M.S F. Value P. Value Replication 4 143.860.965 1.5831 0.1874 Extract portion 4 15.960 1.490 15.4721 0.0000 Concentration 1 54.760 54.760 2.4105 0.1247 AB 4 247.6 61.910 2.7252 0.04 Duration 1 31.360 31.360 1.3804 0.2437 AC 4 100.8 25.210 1.1097 0.82 BC 1 21.160 21.160 0.9314 ABC 4 61.2 15.310 0.6739 Error 76 1726.5 22.718 Total 99 3793.360 Coefficient of Variation: 22 %. Radical Length 70 60 /24 hr /48 hr /24 hr /48hr 20 10 0 Figure 3. Extract portion, concentration and duration interaction. Plumule Length 25 20 15 10 5 0 Figure 4. Extract portion and concentration interaction.
Hadi et al. 431 The leaves extract portion showed significant effect with different concentrations while root, stem, inflorescence and control had no significant effect on plumule length. The 10 mg concentrations caused reduce plumule length as compared to 5 mg concentrations. Similar results were obtained by Tanveer et al., (2005), Khan et al., (2006) and Samreen et al. (2009) that increase in plant material showed increased allopathic effects. DISCUSSIONS The percentage seedlings germination and plumule and radicle growth in wheat reduced in all the treatments as compare to control, especially by extracts from roots and inflorescence. Similarly, increase in plant material (from 5 g to 10 g) reduced the percentage germination and plumule and radicle growths. This suggests that inhibitory effect was enhanced with increasing plant material. This agrees with those of Pereira et al. (2008), Samreen et al. (2009), Ullah et al. (2010) and Hadi et al. (2013). 48 h soaking as compare to 24 h showed reduced growth of radical and plumule. This suggests that inhibitory effect was enhanced with increasing soaking time. The present study suggests that Phragmites karka has water leachable allelochemicals and strong allelopathic potential especially against the tested species. The root extracts were more allelopathic followed by stems, leaves and inflorescence. Our results are similar to the studies of same nature by different researchers that found toxicity of aqueous extracts from other plants (Hussain et al. 2004; Hamayun et al. 2005; Pereira et al. 2008 and Hadi et al. 2013). Thus it is concluded that the assayed plant parts may contain some toxic allelochemicals in them which inhibited the growth and development of test species and these allelochemicals need to be identified and quantified for future studies on allelopathy. REFERENCES Ahmad, N. and Bano, A. (2013). Impact of allelopathic potential of maize (Zea mays L.) on physiology and growth of soybean [Glycine max (L.) merr.]. Pak. J. Bot. 45(4): 1187-1192. Anjum, T. and Bajwa, R. (2007). The effect of sunflower leaf extracts on Chenopodium album in wheat fields in Pakistan. Crop Protection. 26: 1390 1394. Hadi, F., Ali, G. and Rashid, A. (2013). Allelopathic potential of Desmostachya bipinnata (L.) P. Beauv. on wheat varieties (Ghaznavi and Tatara). Scholarly J. Agric. Sci. 3 (8): 313-316. Hamayun, M., Hussain, F. Afzal, S. and Ahmad, N. (2005). Allelopathic effect of Cyperus rotundus and Echinochloa crus-gaili on seed germination, and plumule and radical growth in maize (Zea mays L.). Pak J. Weed Sci. Res. 11: 81-84. Hussain, F., Niaz, F., Jabeen, M. and Burni, T. (2004). Allelopathic potential of Broussonetia papyrifera Vent. Pak. J. Pl. Sci., 10: 69-78. Innes, R. R. (1977). (With a key to species by W. D. Clayton). Surbiton, UK: the Ministry of Overseas Development, Land Resources Division. A Manual of Ghana Grasses, 14 (02): 265. Khan, M. A., Nawab, K., Din, S., Hussain, N. and Gul, B. (2006). Allelopathic proclivities of tree leaf extracts on seed germination and growth of wheat and wild oats. Pak. J. Weed Sci. Res. 12 (4): 265-269. Norton, A.P., Blair. A.C., Hardin, J.G., Nissen, S.J. and Brunk. G.R. (2008). Herbivory and novel weapons: no evidence for enhanced competitive ability or allelopathy induction of Centaurea diffusa by biological controls. Biol Invs. 10: 79 88. Pereira, B. F., Sbrissia, A. F. and Serrat. B. M. (2008). Intra -specific allelopathy of leaves and roots aqueous extracts on germination and early seedling growth of two alfalfa materials: Crioulo and improve. Ciencia Rural, 38: 561-564. Samreen, U., Hussain F. and Sher, Z. (2009). Allelopathic potential of Calotropis procera (AIT.).L. Pak. J. Pl. Sci. Vol. 15 (1): 7-14. Shahid. M., Ahmad, B., Khattak, R.A., Hassan, G. and Khan, H. (2005). Response of wheat and its weeds to different allelopathic plant water extracts. Pak. J. Weed Sci. Res. Vol. 12: 61-68. Stamp, N. (2003). Out of the Quagmire of Plant Defense Hypotheses. The Quart. Rev. Bio. 78: 23 55. Tanveer, A., Rehman, A., Javaid, M. M., Abbas, R. N., Sibtain, M., Ahmad, A. U. H., S.Ibin-I-Zamir M., Chaudhary, K. M. and Aziz. A. (2005). Allelopathic potential of Euphorbia helioscopia L. against wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and lentil (Lens culinarismedic.). Turk. J. Agric For. Vol. 34: 75-81. Ullah. B., Hussain, F. and Ibrar, M. (2010). A llelopathic potential of Dodonaea viscosa (l.) jacq. Pak. J. Bot. Vol. 42 (4): 2383-2390.