Phytotoxic potential of essential oil of Melaleuca leucadendra against some agricultural weeds
Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: The work was undertaken to investigate the phytotoxic potential of essential oil from Melaleuca leucadendra against three weed species, viz., Echinochloa crus-galli, Cyperus rotundus and Leptochloa chinensis. It was observed that volatile oil (0.25-1.5 mg ml-1) of Melaleuca retarded the germination and growth of all the test weeds in a dose-response bioassay conducted under laboratory conditions. Generally, both root and shoot length showed an inhibitory effect in a concentration dependent manner and the maximum effect was observed in C. rotundus, followed by E. crus-galli and L. chinensis. The Melaleuca oil not only affected the germination and seedling growth of the test weeds, but also inhibited the chlorophyll content and dry weight. At the highest dose of Melaleuca oil treatment (1.5 mg ml-1), the chlorophyll content declined by nearly 50% in E. crus-galli and 90% in L. chinensis over the control. Thus, it is concluded that volatile oil possesses phytotoxic potential towards other plants and could be further explored for weed management.
Source: Annals of Plant Sciences
Author: Gunjan Goyal
Institution: Panjab University
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDGs: Life on land, Zero hunger
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2766374318