EFFECT OF POTENTIAL ALLELOPATHIC EGYPTIAN RICE CULTIVARS AGAINST Echinochloa crus-galli AND Echinochloa colonum

With the burgeoning population of the world, achieving the food security has become a challenge to mankind; as a result only yield maximization is becoming the last word of modern agriculture. Although this approach is satisfying the food demand to almost a desirable extent, but is directly and indirectly causing negative impact on quality of the product, environment and overall human health. This system is mostly based on the use of heavy doses of herbicides to control weeds. Therefore, these experiments were conducted in order to investigate a quick seedling test for allelopathic potential of rice cultivars [Egyptian Jasmine (E. Jasmine) and sakha 104] and allelopathic potential of methanol extract of rice cultivars seedlings and as sown rice cultivars on seed germination %, growth and anatomical parameters of the two tested rice weeds (Echinochloa crus-galli and Echinochloa colonum). The obtained results indicated that, reduction in seed germination %, growth parameters of the two tested rice weeds were recorded by methanol extract of allelopathic rice cultivar (E. Jasmine) and as sown with rice cultivars application. Anatomical changes were obtained in the both rice weeds treated with methanol extract of rice cultivar(E. Jasmine). This may led to avoid or at least reduce the frequent use of herbicides in rice crop production sector. These results suggest that rice plant methanol extract may be a source of natural herbicide (bioherbicide).