Allelopathy Journal
  • Year: 2012
  • Volume: 29
  • Issue: 2

Effects of tree species on seed germination and seedlings growth of Chinese medicinal herb Gentiana rigescens

  • Author:
  • J. Zhang, J.Y. Zhang, Y. Z. Wang, S. B. Yang, M. Q. Yang, H. Jin
  • Total Page Count: 8
  • Page Number: 325 to 332

Institute of Medicinal Plants Yunnan Academy of Agricultural sciences, Kunming 650223, China

*Correspondence author: E. Mail: jinhang2009@126.com

Online published on 10 April, 2012.

Abstract

Allelopathic effects of 4-tree species [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Ktze, Eucalyptus robusta Smith, Chaenomeles sinensis (Thouin) Koehne, Alnus nepalensis D. Don] were studied on Chinese medicinal plant, Gentiana rigescens Franch. ex Hemsl.. The leaf or root aqueous extracts of all tree species reduced the germination, plumule and radicle growth of G. rigescens, but the effects were variable. The highest seed germination rate was with leaf extracts (10.0%) of Camellia sinensis. Contrarily the seeds did not germinate in leaf extracts of Eucalyptus robusta and Alnus nepalensis. The longest plumule length (3.37 mm) was in leaf extracts of Camellia sinensis. Hence G. rigescens may be grown as intercrop in tea (Camellia sinensis) plantation.

Keywords

Agroforestry, allelopathy, Alnus nepalensis, Camellia sinensis, Chaenomeles sinensis, economic forest, Eucalyptus robusta, Gentiana rigescens, medicinal plant