TITLE:
Allelopathic potential of Artemisia biennis (biennial wormwood)
AUTHORS:
George O. Kegode, Mark G. Ciernia, David B. Vlieger
KEYWORDS:
Allelopathic Potential; Artemisia Biennis; Biennial Wormwood; Garden Huckleberry; Solanum Melanocerasum
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.3 No.4,
June
22,
2012
ABSTRACT: In this study, Artemisia biennis was seeded in a greenhouse and raised to an average plant height of 100 cm. Aboveground plant portions were harvested and partitioned into leaves and stems, and dried; while roots were either removed from some soil (soil – roots) or left in soil (soil + roots). Greenhouse studies were conducted to evaluate the allelopathic potential of A. biennis leaves, roots, and stems; and soil – roots, and soil + roots on Solanum melanocerasum plant height and fresh weight plant–1. When 5 g of root and stem biomass were added to soil, S. melanocerasum plant height and fresh weight plant–1 was reduced by 75 and 88%, respectively. In contrast, 5 g of leaf biomass caused an increase in S. melanocerasum plant height and fresh weight plant–1 by 35% and 43%, respectively; whereas, 20 g of leaf biomass depressed both variables by 50% and 65%, also respectively. Plant height was more suppressed when S. melanocerasum grew in soil – roots as opposed to soil + roots, whereas fresh weight plant–1 was similar between soil treatments. S. melanocerasum plant height was reduced by 70 and 55% when grown in soil – roots and soil + roots, respectively. In contrast, S. melanocerasum fresh weight plant–1 was reduced by 76% in both soil treatments. The reduction in S. melanocerasum plant attributes in this study is indicative of the allelopathic potential of A. biennis. Furthermore, A. biennis allelopathy is differenttially expressed among plant parts, primarily in roots. This may explain how A. biennis is capable of dominating a habitat once it becomes established. The presence of extractable compounds with herbicidal activity could increase the potential usefulness of A. biennis.