ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Biochemical Interactions: The Allelopathic Role of Gliricidia sepium in Seed Germination

The study was aimed to test whether the leaves of Gliricidia sepium has allelopathic effect on the germination of seeds of crop plants studied ie. seeds of red gram (Vigna unguiculata) and fox tail millet (Setaria italica). The leaves of Gliricidia sepium has been used as a biological nitrogen fertilizer in crop fields from time immemorial. This effect of these leaves in inhibiting or slowing down the germination of other crop seeds can be utilized in bioweedicide preparation. Its potential to be used as a biofungicide or biopesticide also needs further investigation. Allelopathic effect of Gliricidia sepium leaves can also be used in targeting invasive plant removal from fields also. It could be a cheap, easy and environmental and human friendly option of a bio weedicide when compared to polluting and contaminating chemical alternatives. The study also concluded that it is effective in causing allelopathic activity in proteinaceous seeds such as pulses and carbohydrate rich seeds such as millets. At 60% and 80% treatment with Gliricidia leaf extract, the radicle only showed 1 cm growth in day 1 and only 1.5 cm in day 2 which is more than half (>50%) reduction of growth when compared to growth of radicle in control plates. The negative value indicates strong allelopathic effect whereas positive values confirm absence of allelopathic effect of the tested extract. At all the concentrations of the aqueous extract of Gliricidia sepium on seed germination of red gram and fox tail millet showed negative values. It is confirmed that the leaves of Gliricidia have an allelopathic effect on other crop plants such as red gram and foxtail millet.