Allelopathic potential of 50 barley cultivars and the herbicidal effects of barley extract

The potential allelopathic activity of 50 old barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars was determined in Perlite-based bioassay with barnyardgrass [Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.]. Besides, the effect of aqueous extract of most allelopathic cultivar on sterile oat (Avena sterilis spp. sterilis L.), hood canarygrass (Phalaris paradoxa L.), blackgrass (Alopecurus myosuroides Huds.) and wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis L.) was investigated. Barley aqueous extracts adversely affected the root length and fresh weight of barnyardgrass than germination. The inhibitory effects of 2-and 6-row barley cultivars extracts were similar. The Greek cv. ‘Athinaida’ proved most inhibitory to barnyardgrass. The germination, root length and total fresh weight of winter weeds were reduced with its increasing concentrations. Its aqueous extracts were more phytotoxic to canarygrass and blackgrass (81.1 to 86.8% inhibition index), than sterile oat or wild mustard (43 to 80.1% inhibition index). These results indicated that some barley cultivars were more allelopathic and could be used in sustainable cereal production systems or as source of allelopathic traits.