ALLELOPATHIC PROPERTIES OF THE BOXELDER MAPLE

Abstract

The article addresses the issue of chemical interactions between plants in natural phytocenoses. The subject of the work is the allelopathic effect of invasive species on the growth and development of other plants. For the specific experimental study, the boxelder maple (Acer negundo), a prominent representative of the group of adventive species, was chosen. The aim of the article was to determine the allelopathic properties of the aboveground vegetative organs of the boxelder maple, which could somewhat clarify the mechanisms of its rapid colonization of natural phytocenoses in Ukraine. The main research method was bioassays. Wheat was chosen as the test culture, a classic object. It was established that treatment with extracts from the vegetative organs of the boxelder maple caused a decrease in seed germination percentage of the test culture 72 hours after treatment. The leaf extract resulted in an 8-fold reduction in seed germination percentage compared to the control. It was recorded that the total size of the test culture seedlings after treatment with the boxelder maple bud extract was 1.6 times smaller than the control, and after treatment with the leaf extract, it was 4 times smaller. A negative allelopathic effect of substances from the experimental extracts of the boxelder maple vegetative organs on the growth and development of both the whole seedling of the test culture and its roots and shoots was identified. The seedling’s shoot was found to be more sensitive to the negative allelopathic effect of the boxelder maple than the root. Changes in the allelopathic activity of the boxelder maple leaves throughout the growing season were observed: a significant decrease in its activity was noted in the experimental samples from May to September. The results obtained provide grounds to state that one of the mechanisms ensuring the aggressive spread of the boxelder maple in natural and altered phytocenoses could be its high negative allelopathic activity toward other species. The article outlines directions for further research on the chemical interaction between adventive and indigenous plant species.