Allelopathic potential of Annona muricata (L.) on physiological and biochemical changes of Vigna radiata (L.) and Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to assess the allelopathic potential of leaf extract of Annona muricata (L.) on physiological and biochemical changes of Vigna radiata (L.) and Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn. Annona muricata inhibits and stimulates other plants’ growth, a phenomenon called “allelopathic effect.” Crude water extract of the leaves of A. muricata was treated on V. radiata and E. coracana in different concentrations such as 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5%, respectively. A control crop was treated with distilled water. The morphological and physiological effects on V. radiata and E. coracana were observed and recorded. Data were recorded on seed germination (after 10 days of seed sowing), growth, and biochemical composition (15 days old seedlings). Reduction in germination percentage of V. radiata and E. coracana was recorded using leaf extract of A. muricata . The outcome of this research work showed that the extracts from the leaves of the A. muricata plant inhibit and stimulate the growth and development of the test seedlings. The biochemical constituents of test seedlings, such as chl a, chl b, carotenoid, protein, amino acid, carbohydrate, peroxidase, and catalase were observed. The extracts were absorbed through the roots of these plants, affecting physiological processes such as photosynthetic and transpiratory rates, stomatal closure, and reduced chlorophyll content, resulting in wilting, tissue maceration, and stunted growth. Between the two crops, more allelopathic effect was recorded in E. coracana . These results showed that there are differences in allelopathic inhibition and stimulation of crops.