Allelopathic effect of different weeds extracts on germination and biochemical composition of three varieties of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

In order to evaluate the effect of allelopathy of weed extract organs of Convolvulus arvensis and Malva sylvestris on germination and some quantitative characteristics of three varieties of sesame, a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design in Seed Technology Laboratory of Shahed University in 2016. Factors consisted of three sesame cultivars (Yeluewhit, Halil and Oltan), two weeds (Convolvulus arvensis and Malva sylvestris), plant extracts of root, stem and leaf, in three concentrations (0, 5 and 10%) repeated in three replicates. According to the results of analysis of variance, the treatments had a significant effect on germination percentage, photosynthetic pigments, proline content and protein content. The highest percentage of germination (100%) was observed in Yeluewhith and Oltan cultivars, respectively. In addition, the results of the mean comparison indicated that the extract of Convolvulus arvensis root increased chlorophyll content of seedling Oltan cultivar. Extract of different organs of weeds reduced proline and protein in sesame cultivars. The extracts of weed organs of Convolvulus arvensis and Malva sylvestris also affected germination and growth of sesame cultivars. Malva sylvestris compared to Convolvulus arvensis showed higher potential for the production of allelopathic materials. Since studied weed residues inhibited sesame growth by producing allelopathic chemicals, therefore, it is recommended that proper management of weed residues of Convolvulus arvensis and Malva sylvestris.