Using allelopathic potential of Iranian wheat cultivars: approach for weed management

This study aimed to investigate the allelopathic activities and the possibility of weed suppression in ten most common cultivars of wheat. Secale cereal and Hordeum spontaneum that became a problematic weed in wheat fields of Iran was subjected to evaluate the inhibitory effects of wheat cultivars. Aqueous extracts of wheat plant parts such as shoot and root were made to determine their effects on germination and dry weights and root and shoot length of 10-day-old S. cereale and H. spontaneum seedlings. The experiment was carried as a factorial based on complete randomized block. Result showed that studied traits were more sensitive to shoot extracts than for root extracts. All wheat cultivar shoot aqueous extracts significantly inhibited S. cereal and H. spontaneum seed germination and seedling growth when compared with the distilled water control. The shoot aqueous extracts from cultivars caused more than 70% and 80% inhibition of the seed germination of S. cereal and H. spontaneum respectively. However، the root aqueous extracts from cultivars had less effect on it. Also، the root aqueous extracts of most wheat cultivars increased dry weights and length of root and shoot of S. cereale. The root aqueous extracts of some wheat cultivars increased dry weight، length of root and shoot of H. spontaneum. Key words: Allelopathy، non-chemical weed management، wild barley، rye.