ALLELOPATHIC EFFECT OF THE EXTRACT Baccharis articulata IN SEEDS AND SEEDLINGS OF Luffa cylindrica

The vegetable loofah (Luffa cylindrica) has multiple industrial aptitudes and its interaction with allelopathic substances of other species is important for the definition of management strategies and also in the search for control alternatives for invaders in organic crops. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of the crude aqueous extract of carqueja (Baccharis articulata) on the germination and growth of seedlings of vegetable loofah. The experimental design used was completely randomized, with four replications and the treatments were composed by the concentrations of carqueja extract (zero, 25, 50, 75 and 100 g L-1). Seed germination was tested by the paper roll method with 25 seeds properly spaced over each germination paper. The evaluations were performed at four and fourteen days after the test was installed. The percentage of abnormal seedlings, germination and vigor, length of shoot and roots, dry weight of cotyledons, hypocotyl and roots were evaluated. There was a negative allelopathic effect of the aqueous crude extract from the shoot dry of carqueja plants on germination and vigor and on the growth of seedlings of vegetable loofah.