Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Gaziosmanpasa University, Tasliciftlik, TR-60240 Tokat, Turkey.
A field trial (control and residue enriched plots) and greenhouse (soil incorporated mugwort materials and foliar application of water extracts), and laboratory experiments (essential oil, water, and alcohol extracts of mugwort) were conducted to assess the autotoxic effects of mugwort. In the field experiment, mugwort stem number decreased by 32% in control and by 75% in residue-enriched plots at the end of third year. Soil incorporated root + rhizome reduced the germination and seedling growth of mugwort, but shoots biomass had no effect. Mugwort seedlings were tolerant to foliar application of aqueous mugwort extracts. Germination and seedling growth of mugwort were significantly inhibited by all essential oil and water extracts. Alcohol extracts of plant tissues were significantly inhibitory at higher concentrations. Thus mugwort contains allelochemicals in both under- and above ground plant parts that causes autotoxicity.
Allelopathy, Artemisia vulgaris, autotoxicity, mugwort, plant growth, seed germination, weed
