Allelopathy and Its Implications in Agroecosystems

Summary

Allelopathy includes both positive and negative effects of one plant on the other through environment, though most of the studies seem to focus on its deleterious impacts. It plays a key role in both natural and managed ecosystems. In agroecosystems, several weeds, crops, agroforestry trees and fruit trees have been shown to exert allelopathic influence on the crops, thus, affecting their germination and growth adversely. Some of the agricultural and horticultural crops affect their own seedlings grown in succession which is commonly known as replant problem/syndrome. Available studies indicate that allelochemicals act via bringing certain changes in physiological functions like respiration, photosynthesis and ion uptake. These, in turn, result in visible changes in seed germination, further growth reduction and overall performance of the target plants. The studies on interplant interactions assume significance in agroforestry programmes for selecting the types of crops complementary to the selective tree species. In the recent past, however, scientific attention has also been drawn to exploit the positive significant roles this phenomenon can play in enhancing crop productivity. In this context, we discuss the tremendous scope of allelopathy towards weed and pest management, apart from nitrogen conservation, and synthesis of novel agrochemicals based on natural product chemistry. The use of natural products of plant or microbial origin as pesticides/herbicides have gained much attention of the scientists as they offer many advantages over synthetic chemicals. The production of such chemicals should be enhanced by devising suitable protocols based on biotechnological procedures for their widespread utilization.     

Weed Allelopathy,Its Ecological Impacts and Future Prospects

Summary

The importance, characteristics, positive and negative impacts, and future role of weeds as an integral part of the natural and agroecosystems are evaluated and discussed. Interference between plants in nature and the importance of differentiating between competition and allelopathy are interpreted. Allelopathy as one component of weed/crop interference, allelochemicals from weed species and their possible mechanism of action are listed and discussed. Weed species with inhibitory action against cultivated crops, other weed species, and plant pathogens, as well as self-inhibitory (autopathic) species are reviewed. Stimulatory or inhibitory allelopathic effects of different crop plants, trapping and catching species, and the potential of allelopathic weeds in inhibiting or stimulating certain parasitic weed species are discussed and evaluated. Allelopathy as a mechanism and future strategy for agricultural pest control and farm management and the potential use and development of some allelochemicals as natural pesticides or plant growth regulators are also considered and discussed.     

连作大豆化感作用研究进展

大豆连作导致产量和品质下降、病虫害加剧等障碍现象发生,研究连作大豆化感作用对揭示大豆连作障碍机理、克服大豆连作障碍具有重要的意义。该文对连作大豆根系分泌物、根茬腐解物、土壤有机化合物、土壤微生物和地上部淋洗液化感作用的研究进展进行了综述;提出了大豆化感作用未来的研究方向,以期为今后大豆化感作用研究提供参考。     

The Use of Allelopathic Studies in the Search for Natural Herbicides

Summary

The use of herbicides is claimed to negatively affect the environment and actually it does not represent an appropriate tool for the control of some weeds developing resistance. Allelopathic studies offer a challenge for discovering new lead compounds with new target sites. Then, they might be able to control the actual resistant weeds. A Standard Bioassay with selected Standard Target Species (belonging to both monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous species) is proposed to overcome the low reproducibility and the difficulties in comparing results from different research groups. This bioassay includes a commercial herbicide of known levels of activity. Herein, we illustrate this procedure with the results of studies performed with different plants belonging to wild and agricultural ecosystems that have rendered many allelochemicals belonging mainly to several terpene families.     

Allelopathic Influence of Decomposing Wheat Residues in Agroecosystems

Summary

The concept that some crop plants have allelopathic effects is receiving greater attention as a potential mean that can be exploited in various ways for controlling agricultural pests. Wheat residues have been reported to inhibit growth of certain weeds, crops that follow wheat crop in crop rotation, soil nitrification and biological nitrogen fixation. Thus, crop production can be enhanced by avoiding the inhibitory effects or by exploiting favorable interactions. The present article presents an overview of research on the allelopathic influence of wheat residues in agroecosystems.     

小麦对直播稻田千金子的化感作用及化感物质分离鉴定

 研究了小麦茎根水提取液对直播稻田千金子的化感作用，并分离鉴定了化感物质。结果表明：扬麦158和扬麦10号不同生育期的水提取液对千金子种子萌发均有抑制作用，但对幼苗生长无抑制作用；对水稻种子萌发及幼苗生长均无抑制作用；利用室内生测及GC MS分析鉴定抑制千金子种子萌发的化感物质为有机酸，对千金子种子萌发的抑制率达94.90%，有机酸的主要成分为棕榈酸、油酸、亚油酸、硬脂酸及肉豆蔻酸。     

Management of Sinapis alba subsp. mairei winter cover crop residues for summer weed control in southern Spain

Sinapis alba subsp. mairei (H. Lindb. fil.) Maire, a wild subspecies of S. alba L., which is distributed throughout the Mediterranean basin, has been recently introduced in southern Spain as a winter cover crop in olive groves. The reason behind using this cover crop is for the reduction of Verticillium dahliae inoculum. The effectiveness of this cover crop for weed control has not been assessed to date, despite weed flora in olive groves being highly diverse and competitive, especially in spring and summer, when rainfall is low, temperature is high and crop water needs are at their maximum. The objective of this work is to assess the ability and optimum management of S. alba subsp. mairei cover crop residues for controlling summer weeds. This work offers a more detailed study of the influence of this cover crop on the seedling emergence of Amaranthus blitoides (prostrate pigweed) and Chenopodium album (common lambsquarters) in rainfed field conditions. A factorial design was conducted during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. The studied factors were the following: (1) S. alba subsp. mairei cover crops versus bare soil; (2) two different S. alba residue management techniques after mowing and chopping (incorporation into the soil with shallow tillage versus leaving the residues as a mulch); and (3) the effect on two artificially sown-out summer weeds (prostrate pigweed versus common lambsquarters). The S. alba subsp. mairei cover crop residues reduced the weed infestation by 50 and 60%, and it delayed weed appearance by 3 and 4 weeks the first and second years, respectively, compared with bare soil. The optimum cover crop residue management for weed control was to leave mulch. This management was especially efficient for controlling prostrate pigweed, whether no differences were found for common lambsquarters control when the residues were incorporated into the soil with tillage. These results indicate the great ability of S. alba subsp. mairei cover crop residues to provide summer weed control in rainfed field conditions. Its use, therefore, can contribute to the reduction of the number of herbicide treatments in olive groves.     

自然农法条件下稻田有益微生物菌群多年施用累积效果

在自然农法条件下,对稻田连续9年施用有益微生物群（EM） 的累积栽培效果进行了研究。连续施用EM 使土壤的养分状况发生了明显的改变,使水稻抽穗期推迟,花期延长,叶色加深。 EM 的应用还能有效地改善产量结构、提高产量,而且应用年限越长,效果越明显,并且有助于改善稻米品质、减少稻米中钾和镁的含量、增加直链淀粉含量和食味评价值,口感较好。EM 的应用在一定程度上可以抑制杂草的发生和生长     

Categorization of grazing systems to aid the development of land use policy in Aragon,Spain

Ruminant livestock depends primarily on forage and grazing resources from both natural pastures and from cultivated land. Low‐input large‐scale grazing systems constitute a substantial part of what is termed High Nature Value farmland in Europe. Developing a typology of categories of livestock systems within a region is an important step in understanding land uses that involve ruminant livestock systems and their use of feed resources, and in appraising policy options. This study developed a typology based on the municipalities of the region of Aragon in the north‐east of Spain on the basis of the feed resources for ruminant livestock. A clustering analysis was applied to the following three types of criteria: (i) crop types; (ii) vegetation types of uncultivated land and (iii) stocking rate of dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep and goats. A total of thirty‐nine variables were used. The cluster methodology allowed relatively homogeneous groups of municipalities, termed territories, with differentiating characteristics to be obtained. A Geographic Information System was applied to locate spatially the territories. From the twelve territories identified, it was concluded that there was a low use of natural pastures and high use of resources of cultivated origin in livestock systems in Aragon.