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The Effects of Naturally Occurring Phenolic Compounds on Seed Germination

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2017

Robert D. Williams  and
Robert E. Hoagland
Robert D. Williams
Affiliation:
U.S. Dep. Agric., Agric Res. Serv., South. Plains Watershed and Water Quality Lab., P.O. Box 1430, Durant, OK 74701
Robert E. Hoagland
Affiliation:
U.S. Dep. Agric., Agric. Res. Serv., South. Weed Sci. Lab. P.O. Box 225, Stoneville, MS 38776
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Abstract

Caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, coumarin, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, fumaric acid, gallic acid, hydrocinnamic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, juglone, and pyrocatechol were examined for effects on germination of nine crop and weed species: cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L.), corn (Zea mays L.), sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], hemp sesbania [Sesbania exaltata (Raf.) Cary], sicklepod (Cassia obtusifolia L.), velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti Medic), prickly sida (Sida spinosa L.), and redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.). Germination tests with 10-3 and 10-5 M solutions were conducted under controlled conditions in petri dishes at 25 C in the dark. At 10-3 M, coumarin, hydrocinnamic acid, juglone and pyrocatechol inhibited germination, but p-hydroxybenzaldehyde and p-hydroxybenzoic acid were not effective and others had intermediate effects. There was little effect by any compound at 10-5 M. Chlorogenic acid, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, and pyrocatechol, each combined with coumarin, inhibited germination. The combination of coumarin plus p-hydroxybenzaldehyde had an additive effect on hemp sesbania and prickly sida, inhibiting germination to a greater extent than either compound alone. The lack of inhibitory action at the higher concentration of some of these chemicals suggests they may not exhibit a high allelopathic potential.

Keywords

Allelopathysecondary plant compounds
Type
Research Article
Information
Weed Science , Volume 30 , Issue 2 , March 1982 , pp. 206 - 212
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

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