Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
(eISSN: 2229-4473)
Allelopathic effect of aqueous extracts of some invasive plant species on the germination of Solanum lycopersicum L.
*Article not assigned to an issue yet
Uwalaka Nelson Obinna, Umeh Evelyn Odinaka, Obiekee Vitalian Odira, Emeka Emmanuella Chiamaka, Ekeh Chinenye Sylverline, Anum Obinna Augustine
Research Articles | Published: 16 July, 2026
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Keywords: Allelopathy, Inhibitory, Time, Germination, Invasive
Abstract
Allelopathy which is the direct or indirect harmful or beneficial effect of one plant on another through the release of certain chemical compounds into the environment, remains a key phenomenon influencing the performance of agricultural crops. Fresh whole samples of four invasive weed species viz. Ageratum houstanianum, Alternanthera brasiliana, Hyptis suaveolens and Mimosa invisa were collected from natural population and examined for the allelopathic effect of their component parts on the germination of Solanum lycopersicum. Aqueous extracts of parts of the selected invasive plant species at four extraction times (24, 48, 72 and 96 h) were tested on the seeds of S. lycopersicum L. and a three-way analysis of variance was carried out to determine the interaction effect among fixed variables. The leaf aqueous extracts of selected invasive species significantly inhibited germination of S. lycopersicum, although only M. invisa had all its parts inhibiting the germination of S. lycopersicum (p < 0.05). The fixed‑effects three‑way analysis of variance revealed significant main effects of species, plant part, and extraction time on inhibition percentage (p < 0.001) for all factors, and the three‑way interaction (species × part × time) was also significant (p < 0.05), demonstrating that the inhibitory response to extraction time depended jointly on both species identity and the plant part extracted. The allelopathic effect of the invasive species depended on extraction time and was more pronounced in the aqueous leaf extract 72 h before extraction. This study concluded that inhibition of germination of seeds of S. lycopersicum was species-specific and the leaves of H. suaveolens possessed the highest inhibitory effect of all the aqueous extracts used in this study.
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Author Information
Centre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada