Plant Diversity ›› 2011, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (2): 209-213.DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1143.2011.10168

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Allelopathic Potential and Pathway of an Invasive Weed Eupatorium adenophorum (Asteraceae)

YANG  MIng-Zhi, LV  Xia, ZHANG  Ting, YANG  Chen, LI  Wen-Jun, SHI  Yun-Thao, ZHANG  Han-BO   

  1. School of Life Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
  • Received:2010-10-08 Online:2011-04-25 Published:2010-12-07
  • Supported by:

    The Department of Science and Technology of Yunnan Province, China (2007PY01-24) and The National Science Foundation of China (30560033, 30960077)

Abstract:

Crofton weed (Eupatorium adenophorum) is one of the most notoriously invasive plants in China. Allelopathy has been considered to play an important role for population spread. In this study, we demonstrate that this weed has strong adverse effects on two agronomic cultivars, barley and maize, through a variety of allelopathic pathways including volatiles, leachates and root exudates. The allelopathic effect was even detected in early growth stages of the weed. However, there was no evidence to indicate that allelochemicals in dead leaf tissue either persisted or converted into new allelochemicals by naturally colonizing phyllosphere microbes.

Key words: Allelopathic pathways, Eupatorium adenophorum, Invasive plant

CLC Number: