ASSESSMENT OF ALLELOPATHIC EFFECTS OF PARTHENIUM (Parthenium hysterophorus L.) PLANT PARTS ON SEED GERMINATION AND SEEDLING GROWTH OF WHEAT (Triticum aestivum L.) CULTIVARS

A twice repeated experiment was undertaken at the Weed Science Laboratory Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agricultural University Peshawar investigating the allelopathic effects of root, stem and leaf aqueous extracts of parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus L.) on the germination and seedling growth of four wheat cultivars (viz. Siran, Ata Habib, Sahar and Lasani). All the four experimental treatments; [viz. control (distilled water), parthenium root, stem and leaf aqueous extracts were replicated three times using a completely randomized design (CRD). The results revealed significant inhibitory effects (P 0.05) of the root, stem and leaf aqueous extracts of parthenium upon the seed germination and seedling growth of the four wheat cultivars tested in comparison to the control. The leaf treatment was superior among all other treatments in germination inhibition, root/shoot length, seedling root/shoot weight. In addition, the seed germination of wheat cultivar (Siran) was comparatively less inhibited by the parthenium extracts than the other wheat cultivars. Similarly, the seedling of wheat cultivar (Sim) has also shown better resistance to the parthenium extracts of root, stem and leaf than the other cultivars. The seed germination as well as the seedling growth of wheat cultivar (Lasani) was the most inhibited one by the parthenium root, stem and leaf extracts.