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Assaying the allelopathic effects of Eucalyptus camaldulensis in a nursery bed incorporated with leaf litter

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Abstract

Allelopathic effects of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. were confirmed in Petri dish and pot experiments in our previous studies. However, the degree to which such effects under controlled experiments exist in more complex ecological settings remains to be tested. Thus, the present study was carried out by incorporating different proportions of ground litter of E. camaldulensis in soil. The growth of three agricultural crops: falen (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.), chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), and arhor (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.), and two tree species, kala koroi (Albizia procera (Roxb.) Benth.) and ipil ipil (Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit) were tested. There were inhibitory effects of leaf litter on germination, shoot and root growth, leaf number, and collar diameter as well as a reduction of nodulation by legume crops (25–80% reduction). The extent of the effects was dependent on the proportion of leaf litter, the species and the type of traits. In contrast to shoot growth, the effect on root growth was more severe. No effect on germination was found with the agriculture crops while the two tree species showed reduced germination. The effect was greater in the presence of higher proportions of leaf litter mixed in soil while in some cases lower proportions stimulated growth. Not all species were suppressed; A. procera, C. cajan, V. unguiculata showed compatible growth while C. arietinum and L. leucocephala were found incompatible. This study provides evidence that E. camaldulensis has allelopathic potential under field conditions and a careful selection of associated crops in agroforestry systems is highly recommended.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the comments and valuable suggestions of anonymous reviewers to improve the quality of the article. We wish to thank Mr. Abdur Rahman, the gardener of Nursery at the Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Chittagong University for his help in conducting the experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, 3114, Bangladesh

    Romel Ahmed

  2. Ministry of Public Administration, Teknaf, Coxsbazar, Dhaka, 4761, Bangladesh

    Mohammad Shafioul Alam

  3. Arannayk Foundation House 21, Western Road, DOHS, Banani, Dhaka, 1206, Bangladesh

    Farid Uddin Ahmed

  4. Institute of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, 4331, Bangladesh

    M. K. Hossain

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  1. Romel Ahmed
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  2. Mohammad Shafioul Alam
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Correspondence to Romel Ahmed.

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Corresponding editor: Tao Xu.

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Ahmed, R., Alam, M.S., Ahmed, F.U. et al. Assaying the allelopathic effects of Eucalyptus camaldulensis in a nursery bed incorporated with leaf litter. J. For. Res. 29, 593–599 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-017-0450-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-017-0450-3

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