EFFECT OF DIFFERENT PLANT EXTRACTS ON GERMINATION AND GROWTH OF WHEAT AND ITS ASSOCIATED WEEDS

An experiment was carried out in the laboratory of Arid Zone Research Institute, Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to study the effect of different plant extracts on wheat and its associated weeds. The design of experiment was completely randomized (CRD) under room temperature (25 °C). Ten seeds of wheat, wild oats, canary grass and field bindweed treated with fungicide were placed in petri dishes on blotting paper. All the treatments were replicated four times. The extracts of sorghum, sunflower, brassica and rice were applied and data were recorded on germination %, seedling length, and fresh and dry biomass (g) plant^-1. Wheat crop was the most tolerant among all species under test. The findings revealed that the allelopathic potential of extracts tested could be exploited for weed management in wheat as the wheat crop remained most resistant, while weeds were suppressed in germination and growth. In order to conclude meaningful results, further research is suggested to investigate the feasibility of commercial exploitation of these extracts as natural herbicides.