We assessed the allelopathic effects of the aqueous extract of Sonchus oleraceus dry shoots on the germination and seedling growth of Trifolium alexandrinum, three weed species (Brassica nigra, Chenopodium murale and Melilotus indicus) and S. oleraceus itself. We assayed four different concentrations of the aqueous extract (w v-1): 1%, 2%, 3% and 4%. To determine whether the effects of the extract were attributable to the presence of allelopathic compounds, its osmotic potential or both, we prepared concentrations of polyethylene glycol (PEG) with osmotic potentials equivalent to those of the aqueous extract. All concentrations of the plant extract completely inhibited the germination and seedling growth of C. murale. The lowest concentration of the plant extract partially inhibited germination and seedling growth of B. nigra, M. indicus and S. oleraceus, whereas the higher concentrations inhibited those parameters completely. The germination of T. alexandrinum was not affected by the aqueous extract at 1% or 2%. In general, the aqueous extracts were more effective in inhibiting seed germination and seedling growth than were the PEG solutions. Phytochemical analyses revealed that phenols and alkaloids were the most abundant compounds in S. oleraceus dry matter. Our results suggest that the aqueous extract of S. oleraceus has an allelopathic effect on some weeds, and its usefulness as a bioherbicide therefore merits further study

Two cultivars of maize ( Zea mays ), Giza 2 (G2) and Population 45 (P45), were grown under natural conditions in pots containing clay loam soil, either infested or not infested with inoculum of Cephalosporium maydis , the causal fungus of late wilt disease. When the plants were 21 days old, they were subjected to two irrigation treatments: irrigation to field capacity, and irrigation after 60% depletion of the available soil moisture at the root zone, i.e. soil moisture stress. Under nonstressed conditions plants of cultivar G2 showed a lower percentage of infection than those of P45. In stressed plants, the percentage of infection increased significantly. Compared with controls (nonstressed, healthy plants), higher percentages of plant dry mass (leaves + stem + cobs) were achieved by all treatments with G2 than with P45, which did not produce cobs under stress conditions. Nonstressed healthy plants had higher transpiration rates and relative water contents than the water‐stressed diseased plants. The leaves of diseased plants had a higher content of the amino acid proline than those of nonstressed, healthy plants, probably associated with water stress due to the disease. Infection resulted in a reduction of the number of the vascular bundles in the cross‐section of the internode. The values of the phloem area per unit leaf area were greatly reduced in water‐stressed and infected plants. In addition, many xylem vessels were occluded in diseased plants but much more in the susceptible P45 than in the moderately resistant G2. Occlusion may be the most important factor causing the symptoms of the disease. The hydraulic conductance ( Kh ) of the xylem tissue supplying the transpiring areas was calculated from the conduit lumen diameters using the Hagen–Poiseuille relation. The highest Kh values were obtained in the nonstressed, healthy plants, particularly those of P45; plants with both water stress and disease showed the lowest Kh values. The efficiency of xylem conductance was further examined by calculations of the leaf specific conductance and the predicted maximum pressure gradients. Conductance was strongly reduced by infection in both cultivars and there was a corresponding increase in pressure gradients. These observations were consistent with observed reduction in xylem tissues and occlusion of xylem vessels by the infection.

Annual sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus) has been reported to produce allelopathic effects. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted to estimate the allelopathic potential of both plant residue and root exudates of S. oleraceus on flavonoid composition and nodulation in a leguminous crop, Trifolium alexandrinum, and in two leguminous weeds, Melilotus indicus and T. resupinatum. The results of high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) showed that all three legumes contained six flavonoid aglycones: apigenin, daidzein, kaempferol, luteolin, myricetin and quercetin; and seven flavonoid glycosides: daidzin, genistin, hesperidin, hyperoside, kaempferol-7-O-glucoside, naringin and rutin. In general, both plant residue and root exudates had inhibitory effects on the flavonoid composition and nodulation of the target species. However, residue of S. oleraceus caused a significant increase in both individual and total detected flavonoids in T. alexandrinum. The results suggest that the phytotoxins released from S. oleraceus may restrain the biosynthesis of flavonoids in the target species, whereas the accumulated flavonoids in T. alexandrinum are allelopathic-induced metabolites and suggest a resistance mode in this crop.

Vegetation in natural desert and agro-ecosystems was investigated in the middle sector of Egypt. The vegetation was classified by the Two Way Indicator Species Analysis technique (TWINSPAN) into nine vegetational groups representing seven habitat types: desert, fallow land, winter crops of old cultivated land, summer crops of old cultivated land, Citrus orchards, winter crops of reclaimed land, and summer crops of reclaimed land. Detrended Canonical Correspondence Analysis (DCCA) demonstrates that soil factors especially soil texture, CaCO3, organic carbon and electric conductivity contribute significantly to the distribution of species. In all habitat types, species diversity is higher in winter than in summer season. The weed species diversity is greater in the reclaimed areas compared to the old cultivated land and in winter crops than in summer ones