Inhibition Potential of Leaf Extracts of Ornamental Shrubs Plumeria rubra and Calotropis procera on Germination and Growth of Selected Weeds - A Way to Reduce the Risk of Synthetic Herbicides

Subject Areas : Journal of Ornamental Plants

Mehrdad Babarabie ¹ , Fatemeh Sheikhzadeh ² , Fatemeh Salari ³ , Ali Salehi Sardoei ⁴ , Amir Ghorbanzadeh ⁵ , Bahman Fazeli-Nasab ⁶

1 - Department of Agriculture, Minab Higher Education Complex, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, 7916193145, Iran
2 - Department of Agriculture, Minab Higher Education Complex, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, 7916193145, Iran
3 - Crop and Horticultural Science Research Department, South Kerman Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Jiroft, Iran
4 - Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Plant Production, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran
5 - Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Plant Production, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran
6 - Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Agriculture Institute, Research Institute of Zabol, Zabol, Iran

Received: 2025-02-28 Accepted : 2025-06-15 Published : 2025-07-16

Keywords: Environment, Frangipani, Herbal, Natural compounds, Seed, Tropical plants,

Abstract :

Allelopathy is a fascinating phenomenon where plants release chemical compounds that can affect the growth and development of neighboring plants. Identifying plant materials that are readily available, cost-effective, and exhibit strong allelopathic properties could have significant environmental benefits as biological herbicides.  In this study, the allelopathic effects of extracts from two tropical ornamental shrubs, Plumeria rubra and Calotropis procera, were investigated through laboratory experiments. The allelopathic effects of these extracts on seed germination and other germination-related traits were systematically analyzed. The findings showed that the combined application of 5% Plumeria + 10% Calotropis was highly effective for Chenopodium album, while the treatment of 10% Plumeria + 5% Calotropis was most effective for Onobrychis sativa, resulting in complete inhibition of germination. In contrast, the absence of extracts reduced stress effects and increased germination rates. The highest germination percentages were observed for Onobrychis sativa (55.00 ± 5.010), Rumex acetosella (75.00 ± 3.741), Amaranthus retroflexus (100.00 ± 5.849), Tribulus terrestris (21.67 ± 2.415), and Chenopodium album (33.33 ± 0.838). It was suggested that the combined application of 5% Plumeria + 10% Calotropis significantly inhibited the germination of weeds such as Chenopodium album and Onobrychis sativa. In conclusion, this study confirmed that the combined use of methanolic extracts holds promise as a potential raw material for developing pre-emergence herbicides targeting various weeds. This finding is significant as it offers scientific evidence that could support future research and development of eco-friendly herbicides.

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