Abstract

Some plants can have a beneficial or harmful effect on the germination and growth of other plants. This is known as the allelopathic effect. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different doses of velvet bean (Mucuna cineruim) aqueous extract on germination and initial seedling growth of three winter cereals: white oat (Avena sativa), rye (Secale cereale) and wheat (Triticum aestivum). The experimental design was a completely randomized design, with four replications of five doses of aqueous extract (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20%). Of the three cereals, rye had the greatest allelopathic effect on the test variables in the different aqueous extract concentrations, while the white oat had the highest mean germination time. Negative effects of velvet bean on the growth of wheat were observed only in the applications of high doses. It can be concluded that velvet bean exhibits great allelopathic potential to control the germination and seedling growth of the cereals. This effect was primarily observed in the white oat and rye under the applications of higher extract doses.

Key words: Velvet bean, Avena sativa, Secale cereale, Triticum aestivum, germination, aqueous extract.