Аllelopathic influence of weeds on the germination of seeds and development of tomatoes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36495/2312-0614.2026.1.3-8Keywords:
tomatoes, weeds, allelopathic effects, germination, plant developmentAbstract
Goal. To establish the allelopathic effect of weeds on seed germination and the development of tomato plants.
Methods. Information-analytical, laboratory and vegetation methods, and mathematical-statistical analysis. To determine the allelopathic effect, tomato seeds were germinated under laboratory conditions in aqueous extracts of weeds. Tomato seed germination was recorded after 5—6 days. In addition, tomato seeds were sown together with weed seeds in specially prepared boxes in a greenhouse, and the growth and development of plants were monitored. A total of 17 species of the most common weeds were used in the experiments.
Results. Most of the studied weed species inhibited the germination of tomato seeds. The greatest suppression was caused by perennial weeds studied together with their roots: Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., Taraxacum officinale Wigg., Elymus repens (L.) Gould, Sonchus arvensis L., and Equisetum arvense L. In their extracts, tomato seed germination ranged from 0 to 27.2% relative to the control (germination in water). Practically no allelopathic pressure was detected from Setaria glauca L., where the germination level fully corresponded to the control (100%), as well as from Chenopodium album L., where the decrease in germination was insignificant (85.7%). The remaining weed species studied had a moderate allelopathic effect, since inhibition of tomato seed germination ranged from 58.1 to 69.7% of the control. In the vegetation experiment, during the simultaneous germination of weed plants (5 species) and tomatoes, the inhibitory effect of Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. was also observed, where tomato plants significantly lagged behind in growth. When tomatoes germinated together with Setaria glauca L., enhanced weed growth was recorded. Plants of Setaria glauca L. dominated tomato plants and almost twice outpaced their growth. Tomato plants grew more actively compared with Chenopodium album L., Erigeron canadensis L., and Amaranthus retroflexus L., which is apparently related to the peculiarities of the early germination of these weeds.
Conclusions. Aqueous extracts of most of the studied weed species showed allelopathic effects on tomato seed germination. The greatest inhibition was caused by weeds used together with their roots. The growth and development of tomato plants at early stages were inhibited only by Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. and Setaria glauca L. The results of studies of allelopathic interactions between tomatoes and weeds can be used in the development of environmentally safe methods for controlling segetal vegetation in agrophytocenoses.
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