Suppression effect of cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L.)‎ on some weeds germination and growth in pots

Abstract EN

The research was carried out at the section of biological weed control which is affiliated to Biological Control Research and Studies Center, Faculty of Agriculture, Damascus University (Syria) during 2015, with the aim of studying the inhibitory effect of the extracts of cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L.) on germination and growth of some weed seeds in pots.The alcoholic and aqueous extracts of cypress were tested for germination and growth of the weeds, Amaranthus lividus L., Diplotaxis erucoides (L.)DC., Lamium amplexicaule L., Lolium perenne L.

Medicago sativa and Portulaca oleracea L.

Results showed significant effects of Cypress extracts (Alcoholic extract 44.24% and aqueous extract 62.61 %) on the germination and growth of the tested weeds as compared to the control (94.61%).

The alcoholic extract showed very inhibitory effects on all studied parameters, as compared to the aqueous extract, whereas the weeds, D.

erucoides, L.

amplexicaule, and P.

oleracea showed 0% germination with the alcoholic extract and 11.33, 0 and 35,33% for the aqueous extract.

The most affected weed was L.

amplexicaule, as all the concentrations of the alcoholic extract suppressed its seed germination.

Treatment affected negatively the dry matter of the studied weeds, even the seeds that showed higher germination percentages, viz.

M.

sativa which had the highest germination percentage but recorded a less dry weight (17.42g).