Allelopathic effect of walnut leaves on germination of several weed species

Allelopathic effect of walnut leaves on germination of several weed species

To investigate the effect of aqueous extract of walnut leaf on germination of several weed species, an experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with 4 replications in the Agricultural and Natural Resources Campus laboratory of the Razi University Kermanshah, Iran in 2013. Factors included concentrations of 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10% aqueous extract and three weed species of Pigweed red root, Johnsongrass, and barnyard grass. The results showed the effect of different concentrations of aqueous extract on the percentage and mean germination rate, Radicle and Plumule length, Radicle and Plumule dry weight for all three species of red root weed, sorghum, and hawthorn were significant (p≤0.01). With increasing the concentration of aqueous extract, all the studied traits showed a significant decrease compared to the control. For all three species of weeds, the concentration of 10% aqueous extract had the most significant reduction effect on seed germination characteristics. The highest decrease in germination percentage under the influence of aqueous extract of walnut compared to the control was related to rooster seed with 75.75%. According to the results of this experiment, it can be suggested that walnut leaves be used as a tool for the ecological control of weeds.