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Allelopathic effects of Pinus halepensis and Quercus coccifera on the germination of Mediterranean crop seeds

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Abstract

Agroforestry is a leading alternative for food security and forest conservation. A full understanding of positive and negative, i.e. allelopathic, interactions between crops and forest trees is necessary for producing crops and conserving forests especially within the threatened Mediterranean forest ecosystems. The present study explored the allelopathic effects of green and senescent leaf and soil extracts of two agroforestry trees—Pinus halepensis and Quercus coccifera—on the germination of wheat, barley, lentil, chickpea, and fababean as the major grain crops of Jordan. Results revealed that allelopathic effects reduced seed germination of these crops. Germination reduction reached a maximum of 75% in fababean treated with green extracts of Q. coccifera and differed among crops and extract sources, but not between tree species. Comparing between green and senescent leaf and soil extract, regarding their effect on germination percentage, it was noticed that these effects were similar in some crops and were different in others. Germination responses were generally different between cereals and legumes where cereals tend to be less affected by allelopathic influences than legumes, especially fababean. We suggest using cereals such as wheat and barley in agroforestry practices in the Mediterranean region of Jordan.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Deanship of Scientific Research at the Jordan University of Science & Technology (JUST). We also acknowledge the lab assistance of Mr. Ahmad Alqudah. Seeds were kindly provided by National Center for Agricultural Research and Extension (NCARE).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Faculty of Agriculture, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3030, Irbid, 22110, Jordan

    Mohammad A. Alrababah & Maher J. Tadros

  2. Department of Crop Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3030, Irbid, 22110, Jordan

    Nezar H. Samarah & Hani Ghosheh

Authors
  1. Mohammad A. Alrababah
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  2. Maher J. Tadros
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  3. Nezar H. Samarah
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  4. Hani Ghosheh
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Correspondence to Mohammad A. Alrababah.

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Alrababah, M.A., Tadros, M.J., Samarah, N.H. et al. Allelopathic effects of Pinus halepensis and Quercus coccifera on the germination of Mediterranean crop seeds. New Forests 38, 261–272 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-009-9145-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-009-9145-8

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