Department of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141 004, India.
National Seminar of Plant Physiology ‘Physiological Basis for Improving Productivity of Agricultural, Horticultural and Medicinal Plants’. December 27–29, 2004. University of Pune, Pune, India. Abstract No.139, (2004).
There are many reports of allelopathic effects of rice and its residue from rice growing countries (China, Japan, Taiwan and Philippines). In Punjab after harvest of rice, the standing stubbles are burnt to prepare the field for next wheat crop, causing a great environmental pollution. It is recommended that the rice residues should be incorporated into the soil before sowing of next crop, to save the environment. Therefore, laboratory and pot studies were conducted to see the allelopathic effects of rice residue on wheat and mustard. The results indicated that rice residue and its leachates has inhibitory effect on germination and early seedling growth of wheat and mustard. The root growth of both wheat and mustard was more sensitive than shoot growth. The rice soil was also more inhibitory to early seedling growth of wheat and mustard as compared to adjacent fallow soil. The study indicates the allelopathic effects of rice straw and its leachates on wheat and mustard.
