Effects of extracts of green manure in Lactuca sativa and Digitaria horizontalis

This study aimed to evaluate the potential allelopathic effects of four species of green manure (Canavalia ensiformis, Crotalaria spectabilis, Mucuna aterrima and Sorghum bicolor cv. AG 2005) on the seed germination and initial growth of seedlings of Lactuca sativa and Digitaria horizontalis. In the first experiment, the effects of dilute solutions of 10%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5% and 10% of shoot and root aqueous extracts of green manure were evaluated on germination, speed of germination index (SGI) and root length of L. sativa. In the second experiment, the incorporation into the soil of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 g dm(-3) of biomass of green manure was evaluated on the accumulation of dry weight (shoots and roots) and root development of seedlings of L. sativa and D. horizontalis. In conclusion, the aqueous extracts of the species C. ensiformis, C. spectabilis, M. aterrima and S. bicolor cv. AG 2005 promoted negative allelopathic effects on seed germination and SGI of L. sativa. The incorporation into the soil of the biomass also negatively affected the initial development of seedlings of L. sativa. However, there were beneficial allelopathic effects on the early development of D. horizontalis with incorporation into the soil biomass of C. spectabilis.