Biology Department, College of Science, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran. E-mail: homa_mahmoodzadeh@yahoo.com
Allelopathic effects of Cynodon dactylon L. rhizome aqueous extract were investigated on nitrification. The applied rhizome extracts, significantly delayed the complete oxidation of nitrite to nitrate. Also, in the presence of rhizome extract, the amounts of both nitrite and nitrate produced were significantly higher than control solutions. This increase was attributed to the protein hydrolysis and ammonification of resulting amino acids present in the rhizome extract. The delay in nitrification was proposed to be due to the presence of phenolic acids in C. dactylon plant.
Allelopathy, Cynodon dactylon, nitrification, rhizome extract
