The effects of flower and leaf water extracts of photinia x fraseri (red robin) on the germination of seeds of some cultivated plants

In sustainable agriculture, allelopathy, particularly in the control of weeds, is highlighted as a beneficial strategy for providing sufficient and safe food to meet the increasing human population. This study investigates the allelopathic effects of flower and leaf water extracts of Photinia x fraseri Dress on the germination of seeds of six test plants (wheat, corn, lentil, lettuce, radish, and purslane). In vitro germination experiments were conducted to determine the effects of different concentrations (1%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) of the stock extract (5%) on the germination rate. The results show that as the concentration of both extracts increases, the germination rates of all test plants decrease. The seeds most inhibited by the flower extract in decreasing order are lettuce (18.62-94.08%), radish (24.96-90.77%), lentil (15.57-72.41%), purslane (3.99-56.47%), wheat (5.30-37.85%), and corn (11.48-25.27%). Similarly, the seeds most inhibited by the leaf extract have followed the same decreasing order: Lettuce (13.54-95.69%), radish (0.10-76.40%), lentil (0.07-69.02%), purslane (5.00-37.87%), wheat (0.57-19.75%), and corn (4.58-14.62%). It is observed from the results that the allelopathic effect of the flower extract is stronger than the leaf extract. If radish is considered as weed, our findings suggest that high-concentration flower extract of P. x fraseri could be effective bioherbicide in controlling this weed.