Responses of <i>Sesamum indicum</i> to Allelopathy of Coniferous and Broadleaved Trees

The relationships among species and the mechanics of those relationships are very complicated in mixed forests, and allelopathy is one of the most important mediators of these relationships. The types and quantities of allelopathic chemicals are different in coniferous and broadleaved trees; studyin...

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Main Authors: Yujia Liu, Bingju Zhao, Yumeng Han, Chunjing Zou, Chenghuan Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Ecologies
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4133/6/1/21
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author Yujia Liu
Bingju Zhao
Yumeng Han
Chunjing Zou
Chenghuan Wang
author_facet Yujia Liu
Bingju Zhao
Yumeng Han
Chunjing Zou
Chenghuan Wang
author_sort Yujia Liu
collection DOAJ
description The relationships among species and the mechanics of those relationships are very complicated in mixed forests, and allelopathy is one of the most important mediators of these relationships. The types and quantities of allelopathic chemicals are different in coniferous and broadleaved trees; studying the responses of some sensitive plants, such as certain crops, to allelopathy mediated by the leaf extracts of coniferous and broadleaved trees would be an effective technique to evaluate the relationships among species in a mixed forest. In this paper, the effects of leaf extracts from <i>Metasequoia glyptostroboides</i>, <i>Cedrus deodara</i>, <i>Liquidambar formosana</i>, <i>Platanus acerifolia</i> and a mixture of of coniferous and broadleaved trees on seed germination and seedling growth of <i>Sesamum indicum</i> at a constant concentration (50 gDW/L) were investigated using an indoor filter paper culture dish method. The test results were evaluated using the response index (RI) and the synthesis allelopathic effect index (SE). The results showed that: (1) Four kinds of leaf extracts inhibited the germination and seedling growth of <i>S. indicum</i>. The order of the allelopathic inhibitory effects were as follows: <i>L. formosana</i> > <i>M. glyptostroboides</i> > <i>C. deodara</i> > <i>P. acerifolia</i>; (2) In this experiment, the single leaf extract of the coniferous species (<i>M. glyptostroboides</i> and <i>C. deodara</i>) and the single leaf extract of the broadleaved species (<i>L. formosana</i> and <i>P. acerifolia</i>) did not exhibit significant differences in the direction of the allelopathic effect on <i>S. indicum</i>; (3) Compared to their corresponding single leaf extracts, <i>M. glyptostroboides</i> + <i>P. acerifolia</i> and <i>C. deodara</i> + <i>P. acerifolia</i> mixed leaf extracts promoted the allelopathic effects of <i>S. indicum</i>, namely, the coniferous-broadleaved mixed leaf extract > one single leaf extract > another single leaf extract. The rest of the coniferous-broadleaved mixed leaf extract treatment groups neutralized the allelopathic effects of <i>S. indicum</i>, namely, one single leaf extract > coniferous leaf mixed extract > another single leaf extract. The conclusions could provide a scientific basis for managing forests, especially mixed forest ecosystems.
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spelling doaj-art-c1e397369aeb45178fc42e9460c158f72025-08-20T02:42:46ZengMDPI AGEcologies2673-41332025-03-01612110.3390/ecologies6010021Responses of <i>Sesamum indicum</i> to Allelopathy of Coniferous and Broadleaved TreesYujia Liu0Bingju Zhao1Yumeng Han2Chunjing Zou3Chenghuan Wang4Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science & Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, ChinaXinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science & Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, ChinaShanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, School of Life Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, ChinaXinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science & Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, ChinaShanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, School of Life Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, ChinaThe relationships among species and the mechanics of those relationships are very complicated in mixed forests, and allelopathy is one of the most important mediators of these relationships. The types and quantities of allelopathic chemicals are different in coniferous and broadleaved trees; studying the responses of some sensitive plants, such as certain crops, to allelopathy mediated by the leaf extracts of coniferous and broadleaved trees would be an effective technique to evaluate the relationships among species in a mixed forest. In this paper, the effects of leaf extracts from <i>Metasequoia glyptostroboides</i>, <i>Cedrus deodara</i>, <i>Liquidambar formosana</i>, <i>Platanus acerifolia</i> and a mixture of of coniferous and broadleaved trees on seed germination and seedling growth of <i>Sesamum indicum</i> at a constant concentration (50 gDW/L) were investigated using an indoor filter paper culture dish method. The test results were evaluated using the response index (RI) and the synthesis allelopathic effect index (SE). The results showed that: (1) Four kinds of leaf extracts inhibited the germination and seedling growth of <i>S. indicum</i>. The order of the allelopathic inhibitory effects were as follows: <i>L. formosana</i> > <i>M. glyptostroboides</i> > <i>C. deodara</i> > <i>P. acerifolia</i>; (2) In this experiment, the single leaf extract of the coniferous species (<i>M. glyptostroboides</i> and <i>C. deodara</i>) and the single leaf extract of the broadleaved species (<i>L. formosana</i> and <i>P. acerifolia</i>) did not exhibit significant differences in the direction of the allelopathic effect on <i>S. indicum</i>; (3) Compared to their corresponding single leaf extracts, <i>M. glyptostroboides</i> + <i>P. acerifolia</i> and <i>C. deodara</i> + <i>P. acerifolia</i> mixed leaf extracts promoted the allelopathic effects of <i>S. indicum</i>, namely, the coniferous-broadleaved mixed leaf extract > one single leaf extract > another single leaf extract. The rest of the coniferous-broadleaved mixed leaf extract treatment groups neutralized the allelopathic effects of <i>S. indicum</i>, namely, one single leaf extract > coniferous leaf mixed extract > another single leaf extract. The conclusions could provide a scientific basis for managing forests, especially mixed forest ecosystems.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4133/6/1/21leaf aqueous extractconiferousbroadleaved<i>Sesamum indicum</i>germinationseedling growth
spellingShingle Yujia Liu
Bingju Zhao
Yumeng Han
Chunjing Zou
Chenghuan Wang
Responses of <i>Sesamum indicum</i> to Allelopathy of Coniferous and Broadleaved Trees
Ecologies
leaf aqueous extract
coniferous
broadleaved
<i>Sesamum indicum</i>
germination
seedling growth
title Responses of <i>Sesamum indicum</i> to Allelopathy of Coniferous and Broadleaved Trees
title_full Responses of <i>Sesamum indicum</i> to Allelopathy of Coniferous and Broadleaved Trees
title_fullStr Responses of <i>Sesamum indicum</i> to Allelopathy of Coniferous and Broadleaved Trees
title_full_unstemmed Responses of <i>Sesamum indicum</i> to Allelopathy of Coniferous and Broadleaved Trees
title_short Responses of <i>Sesamum indicum</i> to Allelopathy of Coniferous and Broadleaved Trees
title_sort responses of i sesamum indicum i to allelopathy of coniferous and broadleaved trees
topic leaf aqueous extract
coniferous
broadleaved
<i>Sesamum indicum</i>
germination
seedling growth
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4133/6/1/21
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AT yumenghan responsesofisesamumindicumitoallelopathyofconiferousandbroadleavedtrees
AT chunjingzou responsesofisesamumindicumitoallelopathyofconiferousandbroadleavedtrees
AT chenghuanwang responsesofisesamumindicumitoallelopathyofconiferousandbroadleavedtrees