Mohsin Ihsan1, Abdur Rauf1*, Amjad Iqbal2, Muhammad Qayash3, Farooq Jan1, Ikramullah Khan1, Muhammad Sadiq1, Muhammad Faiq1, Jamshed Iqbal1, Husna Nazim1, Kashmala Jabbar4, Yumeng Liu5 and Wang Xiaoyu6
1Garden Campus, Department of Botany, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Pakistan 2Garden Campus Department of Agriculture, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Pakistan 3Garden Campus Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Pakistan 4GPGGC, Mardan, Pakistan 5Huazhong Agricultural University, China 6Yunnan Agricultural University, China
*Corresponding author: rauf77@awkum.edu.pk
In allelopathy, plants can release different types of chemicals, which may affect other plants directly or indirectly, resulting in the inhibition of seed germination or plant growth. Parthenium hysterophorus L. is one of the most hazardous weeds that can broadly affect cultivated crops as well as wild types of plant species through allelochemicals. In this study, the allelopathic effect of P. hysterophorus on lettuce, wheat and some pathogens were explored. Various extracts of P. hysterophorus were obtained and then applied in different concentrations. Phytochemical analysis of different compounds was done using various qualitative and quantitative tests. After exposure of lettuce and wheat plants to seed extracts and root exudates of P. hysterophorus, the growth and length of leaf, stem and roots of the receiver plants were significantly affected. Moreover, P. hysterophorus exudates caused shrinkage with the thickness of the leaf, stem and root cells. The exudates of P. hysterophorus were also tested for their potential anti-microbial activities against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Morganella morganii, Clavibacter michiganensis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, but there were no zones of inhibition detected. According to the current study, the exudates of P. hysterophorus might contain potent allelochemicals, which can be used against weeds to achieve sustainable agriculture.