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ALLELOPATHIC EFFECTS OF ACACIA TORTILIS (FORSSK.) HAYNE SUBSP.
RADDIANA (SAVI) BRENAN IN NORTH AFRICA
Zouheir
Noumi* and Mohamed Chaieb
Abstract:
Allelopathic and autotoxicity effects of aqueous extracts from under the
canopy soil and from different parts of Acacia tortilis subsp.
raddiana were studied. These effects were measured in terms of
germination rate and radicel length of barley (Hordeum vulgare),
softwheat (Triticum sativum L.) and hardwheat (Triticum
aestivum L.) with two varieties and Acacia tortilis.
The experiments were conducted in the dark at an average temperature of
25°C for cereal species and 30°C for Acacia seeds which
represents the optimum temperature of germination. Different extracts
(from soil under canopy, leaf, fruit, shoot and root) significantly
reduced germination and seedling growth of the tested species. However,
this allelopathic effect varied with the extract source. The inhibitory
effect was more pronounced in fruit and leaf extracts compared with
root, shoot and soil extracts. These results strongly suggest that
allelopathy may be a possible mechanism controlling the timing of cereal
and Acacia tortilis germination and seedling establishment.
Department of Biology, U.R. Biology & Ecophysiology of Plants Science,
Faculty of Sfax, Tunisia 3000, BP 1171
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