Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Beni-Sueif University, Salah Salam Street, Beni-Sueif, Egypt. E. Mail: momtazyehya@hotmail.com, momtazyehya@yahoo.co.uk.
*Correspondence author
In bioassay we studied the autotoxic effects of aqueous extract of shoot and root of Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L. var. cicla) at 1, 5, 10% (w/v) concentrations. Extracts at lower concentration stimulated the germination of chard, while it was retarded with > 1% extracts conc. i.e. autotoxicity of chard extract was concentration dependent. HPLC analyses of aqueous extract of whole chard plant revealed the presence of 6-phenolic compounds [p-hydroxybenzoic, p-coumaric acids, protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid, coumarin and vanilline]. The first two compounds were abundant and remaining were in trace amounts. It was concluded that chard extract may be used as a bioherbicide to control the germination and growth of chard.
Allelopathy, aqueous extract, autotoxicity, HPLC, bioherbicides, phenolic compounds, root, shoot, chard, weed control
