ALLELOPATHIC ACTIVITY OF CREEPING THISTLE WATER EXTRACTS ON GERMINATION AND EARLY GROWTH OF WINTER WHEAT

K. Romaneckas, V. Pilipavicius

Abstract: Allelopathic activity of creeping thistle Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. over-ground and rootstock biomass water extracts affects winter wheat Triticum aestivum L. grain germination and early growth. Separately grinded 75 g of creeping thistle overground part and rootstocks was stirred into 750 mL of distilled water and left for 24 hours at a room temperature. Filtered water extract was taken as a stock solution. Stock solution was applied in two, five and ten fold dilution. Winter wheat grain germination was suppressed increasing concentration of Cirsium arvense water extracts while at low concentrations it slightly stimulated grain germination. Cirsium arvense over-ground part was more phytotoxic to the winter wheat grain germination than its rootstock stock solution. Recipient plant concentration (number of winter wheat grains) per Petri dish had no significant P > 0.05 influence on grain germination intensity. Increase of Cirsium arvense water extracts concentration led to winter wheat radicle length decline while seedling growth was suppressed sustaining longer one (except stock solution) than in control treatment of distilled water. Cirsium arvense rootstock water extracts were more phytotoxic to winter wheat seedling and radicle early growth than its over-ground part water extracts while winter wheat radicle as well seedling length was shorter applying Cirsium arvense rootstock than its over-ground part water extracts. Increase in concentration of Cirsium arvense regularly increased winter wheat seedling and radicle ratio from 0.87-0.98 to 2.84-3.38 (over-ground water extracts) and from 0.69-0.90 to 4.48-5.94 (rootstock water extracts), describing change from relatively more intensive radicle to seedling growth.

Keywords: allelopathy; Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.; grain; radicle; seedling; Triticum aestivum L.; weed

Date published: 2019-04-19