Summary
Both extract as well as leachate ofCroton bonplandianum leaves before or after washing are detrimental to at least six weedy associates, viz.Calotropis procera, Chrysopogon aciculatus, Crotalaria saltiana, Cynodon dactylon, Eupatorium odoratum andPolygonum orientale.
By adding increasing quantities of decaying leaves to soil, phytotoxic activity is greatly enhanced against at leastCrotalaria saltiana, Cynodon dactylon andEvolvulus nummularius.
Soil samples collected in and aroundCroton bonplandianum plants during active growth of the species are more toxic to weedy associates than the soil collection made after accumulation of debris ofCroton plants. The weeds that are mostly affected includeChrysopogon aciculatus, Cynodon dactylon, Eupatorium odoratum, Evolvulus nummularius andMikania cordata.
Maximum amount of inhibitory compound fromCroton bonplandianum leaves are extractable in ethanol. The ethanol extract, on further analysis, leads to the finding that two active constituents are involved and that these constituents are probably related to abscisic or phaseic acid.
The implications of the above results are discussed.
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For nomenclature see Table 1.
We feel obliged to Prof. A. K. Sharma, Head of the Department of Botany, University of Calcutta, for providing the necessary facilities for this study. Grateful thanks are due to Prof. D. P. Chakravarty of the Bose Institute, Calcutta, for his kind advice in the chemical analysis of the plant extract; Prof. S. P. Sen of the University of Kalyani, West Bengal and Prof. M. Evenari of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, for their valuable suggestions.
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Datta, S.C., Sinha-Roy, S.P. Phytotoxic effects of Croton bonplandianum Baill. on weedy associates. Plant Ecol 30, 157–163 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02389704
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02389704