Bioactivity of essential oils on the germination and vigor of tomato seeds

Abstract

Allelopathy is the effect of one plant on another through the production of chemical compounds that are released into the environment. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify the allelopathic effects of volatile extracts of essential oils of shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B. L. Burtt. & R. M. Sm.), guava (Psidium guajava L.) and neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) on the germination and root length of tomato seedlings. The oils were extracted from the leaves of adult plants by steam distillation. Five concentrations of each oil were used (0.0; 0.25; 0.50; 0.75; and 1.0%, v/v) in a completely randomized design with four replicates of 25 seeds. For the germination test parameters, the following were evaluated: percentage of germination (G%) and germination speed index (GSI). For initial growth, the length of the radicle and the length of the aerial part were evaluated. The oil of shell ginger inhibited germination at a concentration of 1%, as well as reduced the GSI, and the 0.75% and 1% concentrations totally inhibited root length and the length of the aerial part. For the guava oil, there was a reduction in germination as the concentration increased.

Keywords

• Efeitos tóxicos
• Plantas medicinais