PHYTOTOXICITY OF SWEET CLOVER (MELILOTUS INDICA L.) EXTRACT ON GERMINATION AND SEEDLING GROWTH OF SOME PLANT SPECIES

Document Type : Research articles.

Author

Plant Protection Dept., Fac. Agric., Fayoum Univ., Fayoum, Egypt.

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out to study the
inhibitory effect (phytotoxicity) of sweetclover, Melilotus indica L.
ethanol extract on seed germination and seedling growth of some
plant species in addition to the isolation and identification of the
chemical groups of sweetclover using Infrared (IR) spectrum.
The results showed that wildoat was the most sensitive species
to the ethanol extract of sweetclover with 80.5% inhibition in
germination as well as 66% and 50.9% inhibition in root and shoot
growth, respectively. In contrast, sweet clover extract had no effect
on seed germination and seedling growth of lentil. Also,
germination of onion seeds and seedlings growth of chicory were
not significantly affected by the extract.
In general, root growth was more sensitive than shoot growth
in affected plants.
The crude ethanol extract of sweetclover exhibited five
fractions having Rf values of 0.14, 0.29, 0.53, 0.68 and 0.90. Two
fractions with Rf values of 0.53 and 0.68 were the most inhibitory
effects on germination and growth of wildoat. Both active fractions
contained chemical groups indicated the presence of Isocyanate
(NCO), Methoxy group (OCH3), saturated sulfoxide (S=O),
acetylene (C=C), phenols (ph.OH), carbonyl group (C=O) and free
OH.

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