Allelopathic potential of the invasive Calotropis procera plant against two common crop plants in Taif Province

Authors

• Maram MarzouK Aljuaid, Biology Department, College of Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
• Hatim Maatouq Al-Yasi, Biology Department, College of Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
• Tarek Mohamed Galal, Biology Department, College of Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi ArabiaFollow

Abstract

Invasive plants have several harmful impacts on the agroecosystem including modifying habitats, affecting food web characteristics, and affecting the ecosystem processes and functioning. This study aims to evaluate the allelopathic potential of the invasive plant C. procera and to assess its effect on seed germination and seedling growth of two common crop plants (barley and alfalfa). In a complete randomized design with three replications, the effect of different concentrations of the aqueous extract of the C. procera on the germination and seedling growth of the two crop plants was investigated. There is a marked decline in the germination percentage (GP) of both barley and alfalfa with increasing concentrations of C. procera. The highest GP of barley and alfalfa (96.9 and 82.1%) were recorded at the control, which was decreased sharply until reaching 18.8 and 9.8%, respectively, at 3% (for barley), and 1% (for alfalfa) of C. procera, and then the germination was completely inhibited. The seed germination index (SGI) and mean time to germinate (MTG) data showed that the highest germination speed for barley and alfalfa was recorded at the control with SGI (17.9 and 10.7) and MTG (1.2 and 2.1 days), respectively. These values indicate the faster germination of barley than alfalfa. Moreover, a complete inhibition of germination (IP = 100%) at concentrations ≥ 5% for barley and ≥ 3% for alfalfa suggests that alfalfa is more sensitive to C. procera allelochemicals. Finally, the ability to suppress germination and early growth of economically important crops such as barley and alfalfa highlights potential risks associated with the spread of C. procera in agricultural landscapes. Overall, this study offers strong evidence that allelopathy is a key mechanism supporting the capacity of the investigated invasive plant for interference and ecological success. Further study about the allelochemicals of C. procera must be carried out, as these allelochemicals are capable of suppressing the germination, growth, and dry matter accumulation of many cultivated crops in the fields.

First Page

100

Last Page

112

Recommended Citation

Aljuaid, Maram MarzouK; Al-Yasi, Hatim Maatouq; and Galal, Tarek Mohamed (2026) "Allelopathic potential of the invasive Calotropis procera plant against two common crop plants in Taif Province," Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land Agriculture: Vol. 35: Iss. 2, Article 7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64064/1319-1039.1029

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.