Allelopathic Effect of Solanum Nigrum on Pisum Sativum, Eleusine Coracana and Trigonella Foenum Graecum.
Girija and Shiyamala GowriDepartment of Plant Biology and Plant Biotechnology, Ethiraj College for Women, Chennai.
Abstract: Allelopathic effect of leaf ethanolic extract of Solanum nigrum was tested on test crops Pisum sativum, Eleusine coracana and Trigonella foenumgraecum and compared with control. The effect of the extract was tested by observing germination, radical length and total protein content. The Observations have been presented in Table and figure 1(Germination),2(Radicle length), and 3(Total protein content). The Seed germination showed both inhibitory and stimulatory influence on tested plants. Pisum sativum was the most sensitive crop to ethanolic extract of Solanum nigrum Phytotoxic effect and inhibitory influence was observed in Pisum sativum followed by Eleusine coracana. In Trigonella foenumgraecum, inhibitory influence was observed only in higher concentrations (80 & 100µg), whereas in lower concentrations no such influence was observed compared with that of control. The plant extract had higher inhibitory influence on the growth of Pisum sativum and was comparatively reduced in case of Eleusine coracana than Pisum sativum. Stimulatory influence on seeding growth was observed in lower concentrations (20 µg, 40 µg and 60 µg) with that of control in case of Trigonella foenungraecum. The change in concentration and phytochemical activity had modified the soil moisture, soil temperature and other soil factors, which had shown both positive and negative effect on the tested plant. There was a marked decrease in total protein content from lower to higher concentrations of the extract in Pisum sativum and in Eleusine coracana. The phytochemical tests were conducted for the leaf and the fruit extract. The secondary metabolites like tannins, terponoids, alkaloids, phytosterols and cardiac glycosides were answered positive for both the leaf and the fruit extract samples, whereas saponins were answered positive only in fruit extract. From the results observed secondary metabolites produced by plants are by-products of primary metabolic process. They have allelopathic effect on the same plant or neighbouring plants. Their effects are selective. The Solanum nigrum leaf extracted showed distinct allelopathic effect. Generally leaves are the most potent source of allelochemicals, however, the toxic metabolites are also distributed in all other plants in various concentration. In the crop fields, at ant given time there are at least more then one plant species growing together. In crop mixture or inter cropping systems, the major plants species are crops. besides, some weeds may also be presented. When the two plant species grow together they interact with each other either inhibiting or stimulating their growth or yield through direct or indirect allelopathic interactions.
Keywords: Allelopathic effect; Solanum nigrum; Pisum sativum; Eleusine coracana; Trigonella foenumgraecum Back to TOC