ALLELOPATHIC EFFECTS OF Lantana camara LEAF EXTRACT ON GERMINATION AND GROWTH BEHAVIOR OF SOME AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST CROPS IN BANGLADESH

Lantana camara, an invasive weed in the secondary degraded and plantation forests of Bangladesh is becoming a problem not only competing with the crops but also releases alleochemicals to associated crops. The present study showed that water soluble allelochemicals of L. camara inhibit the germination and initial growth of both the selected agricultural (Oryza sativa L., Triticum aestivum L., Vigna sinensis (L.) Hassk., Cucurbita pepo L., Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench, Amaranthus tricolor L.) and forest crops (Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunn. ex Benth. Hook., Paraserianthes falcataria (L.) Nielson, Albizia procera (Roxb.) Benth.) in the laboratory conditions. The results revealed that different concentrations of Lantana camara leaf extracts caused significant inhibitory effect on germination, root and shoot elongation and development of lateral roots of the receptor crops. Bioassays also indicate that the inhibitory effect was proportional to the concentrations of the extracts and higher concentrations had the stronger inhibitory effect, whereas, the lower concentrations showed stimulatory effect in some cases.