Allelopathic impact of Anthocephalus cadamba (Roxb.) Miq. and Melia dubia Cav. on Triticum aestivum L.: Bioassay study

Anthocephalus cadamba and Melia dubia are being promoted under agroforestry in various parts of the country due to their fast growth and multifarious uses. Therefore, it is necessary to study the allelopathic impact of these tree species on understory crops. Hence, present study was conducted to assess the allelopathic effect of aqueous leaf extracts of A. cadamba and M. dubia on Triticum aestivum (wheat) under laboratory conditions. Study consisted of seven concentrations of aqueous leaf extracts of A. cadamba and M. dubia (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6%) along with a control (0%). The results showed that lower concentrations (0.5, 1 and 2%) of aqueous leaf extract of A. cadamba had no allelopathic impact, however higher concentration (6%) showed maximum inhibitory allelopathic impact on seed germination (90%). Higher concentrations of M. dubia leaf extract also exhibited allelopathic effect on seed germination and resulted in minimum (63.3%) germination at 6% concentration. Similarly, higher concentrations of leaf extracts of both the species resulted in more pronounced allelopathic effect on growth and shoot and root weight of wheat.