ALLELOPATHIC EFFECT OF SOME SUMMER LEGUMES ON SEED GERMINATION, EMERGENCE AND SEEDLING GROWTH OF PEARL MILLET (Pennisetum americanum L.

Abstract

In Pakistan, pearl millet is being grown in mixture with forage legumes for improving both yield and quality but informations are lacking on allelopathic effects of summer legumes germination and seedling growth of pearl millet. Laboratory based experiments were therefore conducted in Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, to investigate the allelopathic effects of aqueous extracts of leaves and stems of leguminous crops i.e. cowpea, sesbania, mung bean and cluster bean  on seed germination, seedling emergence and growth of millet seedlings. The cowpea, sesbania, mung bean and cluster bean plants were separated into leaves and stems and dried under shade. The concentration of leaves and stem of each species at the rate of 100 g l^-1 was used and distilled water as control was also included for comparison. All the extracts either from leaves or stems significantly affected all parameters i.e. germination, emergence of seedlings, MGT, GI, T50, shoot length, root length and fresh and dry weight of shoot and roots. Extract of leguminous crops showed inhibitory effects on germination and emergence, shoot and root length, fresh and dry weight of shoots and roots and total fresh weight of seedlings. There have been a variation in allelopathic effect of stems and leaves and even differences were significant in some parameters between stem and leaves of same legumes.