Allelopathic Interactions between Crop Plants

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 5793

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of International and Innovative Agriculture Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8538, Japan
Interests: allelopathy; plant–plant interactions; plant–microbe interactions; bioactive natural chemicals; weed control; organic agriculture; sustainability in agriculture
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Dear Colleagues,

Many crops and crop cultivars show allelopathic properties, such as wheat, barley, rice, rye, buckwheat, pea, velvetbean, fava bean, etc. The use of cover crops with allelopathic activities also results in less weed and soil erosion and lessens the need for nitrogen fertilizers. Promotive effects by crops to other plants are also attractive topics. Companion planting related to allelopathy could be useful for organic farming. The allelopathic effect of microorganisms living with crops is another important aspect in farming systems.

In this Special Issue, we aim to exchange knowledge on any aspect related to allelopathic interaction between plants, plant to weed, plant to insects, plant to microorganisms, and plant to animals. Papers on organic farming, sustainable agriculture, and stable food production are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Yoshiharu Fujii
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • allelopathy
  • interaction
  • crop
  • weed
  • organic farming
  • sustainable production
  • continuous cropping
  • allelochemicals
  • companion crop
  • cover crop

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1157 KiB  
Article
Plant Growth Inhibitory Activity of Hibiscus sabdariffa Calyx and the Phytotoxicity of Hydroxycitric Acid Lactone
by Tugba Gonca Isin Ozkan, Kwame Sarpong Appiah, Emine Akalin and Yoshiharu Fujii
Agronomy 2023, 13(7), 1746; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13071746 - 28 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1170
Abstract
Weeds pose major constraints in crop production. The use of allelochemicals and allelopathic species can provide an effective alternative for sustainable weed management. In a previous study that evaluated the allelopathic activity of wild and cultivated plants in Turkey, Hibiscus sabdariffa demonstrated the [...] Read more.
Weeds pose major constraints in crop production. The use of allelochemicals and allelopathic species can provide an effective alternative for sustainable weed management. In a previous study that evaluated the allelopathic activity of wild and cultivated plants in Turkey, Hibiscus sabdariffa demonstrated the strongest inhibitory potential. This study aimed to estimate the phytotoxic influence of the H. sabdariffa water crude extracts on Lactuca sativa L. in a bioassay experiment. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was used to identify two major compounds, hydroxycitric acid lactone and hydroxy citric acid, and their plant growth inhibitory activities were evaluated by bioassays. Hydroxycitric acid lactone had a stronger growth inhibitory activity on L. sativa L. and was estimated as a major allelochemical in H. sabdariffa calyx. The high concentration (16.7% of the dry weight of the calyx) and strong inhibitory effect (EC50, 73.7 ppm) of the hydroxycitric acid lactone could demonstrate the growth inhibitory activity of the H. sabdariffa calyx extract. This study showed that hydroxycitric acid lactone, a major compound in the calyx of Hibiscus sabdariffa, is a plant growth inhibitor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Allelopathic Interactions between Crop Plants)
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12 pages, 3217 KiB  
Article
Allelopathy and Allelopathic Substances in the Leaves of Metasequoia glyptostroboides from Pruned Branches for Weed Management
by Hisashi Kato-Noguchi, Kaho Matsumoto, Chisato Sakamoto, Shunya Tojo and Toshiaki Teruya
Agronomy 2023, 13(4), 1017; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13041017 - 30 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1592
Abstract
Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu et W.C. Cheng, known as a living fossil species, is planted in parks, gardens, and streets in many temperate regions worldwide. Adequate branch pruning is necessary to grow the plants in these locations, and pruning generates a large amount of [...] Read more.
Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu et W.C. Cheng, known as a living fossil species, is planted in parks, gardens, and streets in many temperate regions worldwide. Adequate branch pruning is necessary to grow the plants in these locations, and pruning generates a large amount of waste. In this study, allelopathic activity of pruned-branch waste was investigated to search for beneficial applications of the waste. The leaves of M. glyptostroboides obtained from pruned branches were extracted, and the extracts showed growth-inhibitory activity on four weed species, namely, Vulpia myuros, Lolium multiflorum, Echinochloa crus-galli, and Phleum pretense. The inhibition was extract-concentration dependent. The roots of P. pretense were the most sensitive, and the coleoptiles of E. crus-galli were the least sensitive to the extracts among all roots and coleoptiles of these weed species. Two allelopathic substances in the extracts were isolated and identified as umbelliferone and (+)-rhododendrol. Both compounds showed inhibitory activity on the growth of V. myuros, although the inhibitory activity of (+)-rhododendrol was much greater than that of umbelliferone. The leaves may also contain some other allelopathic substances. These allelopathic substances, including umbelliferone and (+)-rhododendrol, may work as growth-inhibitory substances of leaf extracts. Therefore, the leaves of M. glyptostroboides obtained from pruned branches are allelopathic and potentially useful for weed control in certain agricultural settings such as foliar spray and soil additive, to decrease synthetic herbicide application in crop production pursuant to developing ecofriendly agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Allelopathic Interactions between Crop Plants)
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18 pages, 1892 KiB  
Article
Isolation and Functional Characterization of Culture-Dependent Endophytes Associated with Vicia villosa Roth
by Parisa Taheri, Rumi Kaida, Khondoker M. G. Dastogeer, Kwame Sarpong Appiah, Michiko Yasuda, Keisuke Tanaka, Hossein Mardani Korrani, Majid Azizi, Shin Okazaki and Yoshiharu Fujii
Agronomy 2022, 12(10), 2417; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12102417 - 5 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2544
Abstract
In a natural ecosystem, endophytic fungi in the internal tissues of plants help to improve the growth of the host plants and to decrease the negative effects of biotic and abiotic stresses without having adverse effects. In Japan, Vicia villosa (hairy vetch), a [...] Read more.
In a natural ecosystem, endophytic fungi in the internal tissues of plants help to improve the growth of the host plants and to decrease the negative effects of biotic and abiotic stresses without having adverse effects. In Japan, Vicia villosa (hairy vetch), a legume plant with a high capacity to fix nitrogen, is usually used as a cover crop before soybeans to enhance the fertility and structure of the soil. This study aimed to isolate endophytic fungi associated with different tissues of hairy vetch and to evaluate their potential for growth-promoting and biocontrol effects in plants. Thirty-three fungal endophytes belonging to Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were isolated from the leaf, stem, and root tissues of hairy vetch grown under both greenhouse and field conditions. The highest colonization frequency in both the greenhouse and field-grown hairy vetch plants was obtained from the root tissues. All isolates were checked for indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and siderophore production. The maximum IAA content in the culture filtrate (4.21 μg mL−1) was produced by the isolate hvef7 (Cladosporium cladosporioides), followed by hvef18 (Penicillium simplicissimum) (3.02 μg mL−1) and hvef1 (Cladosporium pseudocladosporioides) (2.32 μg mL−1). Nineteen isolates among a total of thirty-three isolates produced siderophores. Moreover, some of the isolated strains could solubilize phosphate and potassium. Most of the isolates showed antagonistic potential against Calonectria ilicicola. The results of this study show that endophytic fungi isolated from hairy vetch have the potential for application as plant growth promotion fungi (PGPF) to promote plant growth and control disease in sustainable agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Allelopathic Interactions between Crop Plants)
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