• Akanksha Rastogi
• Vir Singh
• A. Arunachalam

Jatropha (oil producing plant) is widely growing with many food crops in Tarai area of the Himalayan foothills. The present investigation is aimed at assessing the allelopathic effects of Jatropha curcas Linn. on two varieties each of the three intercropping food crops, viz. rice, soybean and mustard. Different concentrations (5%, 10%, 15% and 20% (w/v)) of Jatropha leaf aqueous extract were bio-assayed against germination and seedling growth (plumule and radical length) of the crop varieties. Four treatments with three replications in each treatment (T0 control and T1, T2, T3 and T4 testing 5, 10, 15 and 20% w/v concentrations of the Jatropha leaf extracts, respectively) were taken. Both varieties of each of the three crops were affected by leaf aqueous extracts in varying concentrations. The maximum seed germination reduction was observed for mustard in variety Kranti (70.38%) at T4 treatment and minimum in Kranti (8.20%) at T1 treatment. In soybean, reduction in seed germination was greater in variety PS-1042 (44.53%) in T4 treatment and for rice variety PB-1 also the T4 treatment had higher seed germination reduction. The response index value (RI) for all crop varieties ranged from 0.076 (Kranti) to 0.625 (Krishna) at T1 and T4 treatments, respectively and germination relative index (GRI) ranged from 12.25 (Kranti) to 40.54 (PB-1). The plumule length reduction was maximum in mustard variety Kranti (72.40%) and RI value ranged from 0.067 (PS-1042) to 0.727 (Kranti). Maximum radical length reduction was recorded in rice variety PB-1 (4.40) and RI values ranged between 0.044 (PB-1) and 0.818 (BP-1). Higher concentrations of Jatropha curcas had a strong inhibitory effect on germination, plumule and radical length of all varieties of intercropped food crops. The level of inhibition of aqueous leaf extract of Jatropha curcas varied with the concentration and type of varieties of intercropped food crops.

Allelopathy, Food crops, Intercropping, Jatropha curcus, Leaf aqueous extract

"Allelopathic Effects of Aqueous Leaf Extract of Jatropha curcas L. on Food Crops in the Himalayan Foothills", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no.866-874, June-2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1906708.pdf

"Allelopathic Effects of Aqueous Leaf Extract of Jatropha curcas L. on Food Crops in the Himalayan Foothills", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no. pp866-874, June-2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1906708.pdf