Allelopathic potential of needle litter extracts of Pinus roxburghii on germination and early growth of Zea mays and Echinochloa crus-galli

Abstract

The needle litter of Pinus roxburghii, a common conifer of Himalayan region was investigated for allelopathic potential against crop plant Zea mays and weed Echinochloa crus-galli. The aqueous extracts from litter enhanced the growth of Z. mays slightly at lower concentrations but showed inhibitory effect at higher concentrations. However, the effect on E. crus- galli was inhibitory at all the concentrations. Overall, the effect on the weed species was more pronounced as compared to the crop species. The findings suggest that the litter of P. roxburghii possesses allelopathic potential and can serve as an important bioresource for management of weeds by utilizing the principles of allelopathy. However, further detailed field studies are needed.