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Autotoxicity of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) as determined by laboratory bioassays

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Abstracts

Wheat varietal autotoxicity and varietal allelopathy were assessed based on plant extract and root exudate bioassays under laboratory conditions. Aqueous extract of wheat differed in varietal autotoxicity and varietal allelopathy, inhibiting wheat germination by 2–21%, radicle growth by 15–30%, and coleoptile growth by 5–20%, depending on the combination of the receiver and donor. Extracts of cv Triller or cv Currawong were more allelopathic to other wheat varieties than cv Batavia and cv Federation. Triller extract was more autotoxic than Federation. Assessment of root exudates by the equal-compartment-agar-method further identified the significant differences in varietal autotoxicity and varietal allelopathy of root exudates between wheat varieties, with root exudates of Triller or Batavia showing stronger autotoxic or allelopathic effects than Currawong or Federation. The varietal autotoxicity and allelopathy of root exudates also showed a characteristic radial inhibitory pattern in the agar growth medium. These results suggest that careful selection of suitable wheat varieties is necessary in a continuous cropping system in order to minimize the negative impacts of varietal allelopathy and varietal autotoxicity. Factors affecting autotoxicity in the field and strategies in autotoxicity management are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This research is jointly funded by both Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Weed Management Systems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. E.H. Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (a collaborative alliance between NSW Department of Primary Industries and Charles Sturt University), Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2650, Australia

    Hanwen Wu, Jim Pratley, Deirdre Lemerle, Min An & De Li Liu

  2. School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 588, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2678, Australia

    Jim Pratley

  3. Environmental and Analytical Laboratories, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 588, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2678, Australia

    Min An

Authors
  1. Hanwen Wu
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  2. Jim Pratley
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  3. Deirdre Lemerle
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  4. Min An
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  5. De Li Liu
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Correspondence to Hanwen Wu.

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Resposible Editor: Philippe Hinsinger

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Wu, H., Pratley, J., Lemerle, D. et al. Autotoxicity of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) as determined by laboratory bioassays. Plant Soil 296, 85–93 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-007-9292-7

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