ALLELOPATHY

ABDON, Demiel Kaye

BAUTISTA, Laiza
MELEGRITO, Jodelyn
MONTALLA, Venus
TAROMA, Neil

ALLELOPATHY
vrefers to beneficial or harmful effects of one plant to another
plant by release of chemicals from plant parts via:
-leaching
-root exudation
-volatilization
-residue decomposition
-other processes in both natural and agricultural systems

 Common effect: reduced seed germination & seedling growth

Allelopathic compounds may have originally evolved as
compounds that deter pathogens or herbivores

ALLELOPATHIC COMPOUNDS
vLike other herbicides, action of most allelopathic
compounds is unknown
vHowever, known action sites of allochemicals are in:
Cell division
Pollen germination
Nutrient uptake
Photosynthesis
Specific enzyme function

EXAMPLES OF ALLOCHEMICALS
vmixture with other compounds may lead to enhanced
allolepathic effect, than when it is alone:
Phenolic compounds: through ion uptake or respiration
Flavonoids
Terpenoids: can inhibit cell division
Alkaloids
Steroids
Carbohydrates
Amino acids

PLANTS PARTS HAVING ALLELOPATHIC

ACTIVITY
vmay vary over a growing season
Flowers
Leaves
Leaf litter
Stems
Bark
root

ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS
vAutotoxicity
-allolepathy between oraganims of the same species
Ex. Trifolium spp. (clovers) and Asparagus
officinalis
(asparagus)
vControl of weeds in agriculture
- some genetically modified crops are allelopathic to weed,
increasing the rate of production

PLANTS EXHIBIT ALLELOPATHY

vMiracle tree
Used in india
Inhibits growth of other trees but not its own seedlings
Reduce yield of yeast but increased yield of rice
vPine trees
Pine needle droppings causes the soil around pine
trees to be acidic

BLACK WALNUT
vBlack walnut causes neighboring plants to turn yellow, wilt
and die
Hydrojuglone
-Non toxic, colorless chemical
-In leaves, stems, fruit hulls, inner bark and roots,
-When exposed in air and soil compounds,
turns
into allochemical juglone

 Juglone
-Higly toxic
-Exuded from all parts of the tree
-Affect other plants through:
Root contact
Leakage or decay in the soil
Falling and decaying leaves
Rain
-Although low water solubility, small
cause injury to sensitive
plants

amounts can

CONTROL
vSoil micro organisms
-Ingest juglone as energy sources and metabolic
composition can turn juglone as non toxic
-Well drained, aerated soils accelerate microbial
activity
-Urban soils on the other hand decrease microbial
growth making plants in the urban area high risk for
these chemicals

v Adheres to soil rather than in plants causing favorable

environment for microbial growth
v Mycorrhizal fungi
-necessary for normal uptake functions
-Allelochemicals can disrupt the uptake process by
damaging the root hairs or by inhibiting mycorrhizal
populations in the soil

REFERENCES
James J. Ferguson, a. (2015). HS944/HS186: Allelopathy: How
Plants Suppress Other Plants. Edis.ifas.ufl.edu. Retrieved 24
November 2015, from https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs186
Appleton, B. B. (2015). The Walnut Tree: Allelopathic Effects
and Tolerant Plants. Virginia Cooperative Extension.