Crude extract of Astragalus mongholicus root inhibits crop seed germination and soil nitrifying activity

Astragalus mongholicus has been of medicinal use within the traditional Chinese system for centuries. However, little information is available on its allelopathic effects on other crop plants and soil biochemical properties. Field experiment showed that the extracted residues of A. mongholicus root inhibited seed germination of wheat. Inhibition of seed germination was further confirmed in laboratory using the same crude extract. When the crude extract was applied to soil at various rates and incubated for 30 days, soil urease activity and denitrifying enzyme activity were significantly increased while soil nitrification rate was significantly decreased at 10% amendment rate as compared to the control. Soil respiration rate was significantly increased by the crude extract when measured at the start of incubation but returned to basal levels after 30 days of incubation. The crude extract supplemented to NB medium significantly decreased the colony numbers of Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58, Paraccocus denitrificans and soil bacteria. The stimulating effects of crude extract observed in the amended soil was attributed to the easily-available carbohydrates in the extract, which might served as external energy sources for heterotrophic microbial activities. It was concluded that A. mongholicus contained some compounds that inhibited seed germination, soil nitrification and bacterial growth in general. Possible links between allelochemicals responsible for the inhibitory effects observed in the present study and the medically bioactive compounds are discussed based on information reported in other fields. Further work is needed to specify and verify the allelochemicals produced by this herbal plant.