Allelopathic Potential of Cassia fistula Aqueous Extract in Suppressing Germination and Growth of Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)

Abstract

In winter 2018, the study was conducted during the winter season at the Weed Science Laboratory, Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, to find out whether Amaltas (C. fistula) causes allelopathy in C. arvensis. A total of three replicates were used in a CRD design. Extracts of Amaltas were mixed at 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% and added to field bindweed seedlings at 0.25%, 0.50%, 1%, 2%, 4%, and 8%. Water extracts from C. fistula were used in laboratory experiments. This study used established methods to gather data on seedling emergence, seedling shapes, and the weights of C. arvensis seedlings. A Fisher analysis of variance was used, and results with a 5% probability level were considered significant. It was found that the aqueous extracts from C. fistula significantly suppressed the growth and germination of field bindweed. In particular, the percentage of germination, average germination time, germination index, and the time required for half of the seeds to germinate were all affected by the presence of C. fistula extracts. These compounds also notably cut down on the seedling shoot length, root length, root fresh weight, shoot fresh weight, root dry weight, and shoot dry weight. It is possible that the phenolics and flavonoids in extracts of C. fistula subdued growth by disrupting the systems important for seeds to grow and expand. It was suggested in the study that water extracts of C. fistula could act as natural herbicides to help manage weeds sustainably. In-depth findings could lead to better application rates, timing, and methods, as well as reveal which allelochemicals cause these effects.