Influence of Ambrosia artemisiifolia extract on germination and growth of Pisum sativum L. and Phaseolus vulgaris L. seedlings

Abstract

Previous research has shown that there are allelopathic interactions between plants, releasing allelochemicals for which it is still unknown whether they are randomly generated or transmitted from generation to generation. In this paper, the influence dried ragweed leaves (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) aqueous extract of different concentrations: concentrated extract (10%), extract diluted to 1/2 (5%); 1/4 (2.5%) and 1/8 (1.25%) on germination and growth of peas and beans was monitored. The results showed that the increased concentration of ragweed extract inhibited germination, prolonged germination time and decreased the germination index of both test plant species compared to the control. The ragweed extract (concentrated and 1/2) reduced the growth of shoots and roots compared to the control (by more than 50%), with the inhibitory effect being more visible on young pea plants compared to beans. The results of the research showed that the presence of ragweed as a weed in the field significantly reduces the germination and growth of cultivated plants, which is why care should be taken to suppress and remove it in a timely manner.