ALLELOPATHIC ACTIVITY OF INVASIVE SPECIES SOLIDAGO CANADENSIS L.

Abstract

Solidago canadensis L. (Asteraceae) spread throughout the world and also is enlisted in the National list of invasive species (2012). Here the allelopathic activity of the species was assessed in terms of further understanding of their distributions over the range of native spread. The invasion success of S. Canadensis was tried to base on the estimation of the total phenolics content (TPC) in the plant aqueous leachates at different growth stages. Allelopathic impacts (total phenolics content, total concentration and dynamic, conventional coumarine units, CCU) of S. canadensis were examined during 2012-2013 in Laboratory of raw materials, agro and zootechnics research, Aleksandras Stulginskis University. The plants were sampled in spring (May, rosette), summer (June, flowering) and autumn (September, seed maturity) for preparing the aqueous extracts. The biochemical (allelopathic) characteristics of S. canadensis aqueous extracts were examined at different plant growth stages. Principal (0–9) and secondary (0–9) growth stages as per universal BBCH scale description and coded using uniform two-digit code of phenologically similar growth stages of all mono- and dicotyledonous plant species.
The TPC ranged between 0.968 mg ml^-1 to 23.591 mg ml^-1  depending on the plant ontogenetic stage, plant part and extract concentration (r = -0.7). Due to accumulated allelochemicals, the invasive S. canadensis, might acquire distribution advantage in new territories outside the native habitat range, through the inhibitory effects on germination of native plant species.

 Keywords: Solidago canadensis, allelopathy, phenolics.

Article DOI: http://doi.org/10.15544/RD.2015.037