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Abstract

Background and Objective Siam weed is a fast-growing perennial, is now regarded as one of the most harmful weeds present on earth due to its highly invasive and allelopathic nature. The present investigation was aimed to evaluate the allelopathic effect of aqueous extract and leaf litter leachate extracts from Chromolaena odorata on the growth of mangrove associate plant Salvadora persica. Materials and Methods Germination of Salvodora persica was performed in Petri dishes under different concentrations 20, 40, 60 and 80 of leaf aqueous extracts of Chromolaena odorata collected from natural habitats of Konkan region of Maharashtra, India. At the end of experiment 10 days, the growth and biochemical characteristics of S. persica seedlings were measured. The data were statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA analysis of variance. Results The effects of extracts on germination percentage, seedling growth and dry biomass were investigated. Higher concentrations of extract 60 and 80 significantly reduced germination percentage, radicle length, plumule length and dry matter accumulation of the Salvadora seedlings as compared to control. The inhibitory effect was concentration dependent and the more pronounced effect noticed in leaf litter leachate extract. A significant correlation was found in different concentrations of extracts used with respect to morphological attributes. The allelopathic effect also noticed in biochemical parameters. The GC MS analysis of leaves revealed the presence of some allelochemical compounds which supported the allelopathic potential of leaf extract. Conclusion Based on the findings, it could be speculated that the delayed germination and low germination rate of the test species after treatment by extracts may be due to the allelochemicals present in the extracts which might release phenolics into the soil and these are probably involved in the growth inhibitory effect of surrounding plant species.