This study was conducted to evaluate the allelopathic effect of aqueous extract of Ganghwa domestic mugwort (Artemisia spp.) on vegetables and its related allelochemicals. When the receptor vegetables, such as Chinese cabbage, lettuce, and red radish, were treated with aqueous extract obtained from Sajabalssuk (A. sp*I), Ssajuarissuk (A. sp*II) or Ssajarissuk (A. sp*III), their germination rate, leaf number, plant height, and root length were restricted with increasing concentration of aqueous extract. Allelopathic effect was the highest in radish, than lettuce and Chinese cabbage in order. The growth of topplant were more inhibited then root growth observing in restriction of plant height, root length, and chlorophyll contents. The plant height, the root length of red radish were 53.3 and 61.2% and their fresh weights were 19.8 and 26.4% compared to those of controls, respectively. A. sp*III showed the highest allelopathic effect among the donor plants. In HPLC analysis, 7 phenol compounds were identified in A. sp*I and A. sp*II, and, in A. sp*III, and hydroxybenzoic acid and phenylacetic acid were further identified as allelochemicals. It is considered that their plant growths were variously inhibited by the amounts and types of allelochemicals in aqueous extracts. To increase the productivity of farm land after cultivation of mugwort, these results can be useful to select the following field crops.

Compositae plants are known to contain biologically active substances that are allelopathic to agricultural crops as well as weed species. Aqueous extracts from leaves of Xanthium occidentale were assayed against alfalfa (Medicago sativa) to determine their allelopathic effects, and the result showed that the extracts applied onto filter paper significantly inhibited seed germination as well as root growth of alfalfa. Untreated seeds germinated in 60h, but extract concentrations greater than 30g ~textrmL-1 delayed seed germination. The extracts significantly inhibited seed germination of alfalfa, and β -amylase activity of alfalfa and barley seeds during 24-36 hours after treatment. Aqueous extracts of 40 g ~textrmL-1 from X. occidentale were completely inhibited the hypocotyl and root growth of alfalfa. Aqueous leaf extracts showed the highest inhibitory effect and followed by root and stem extracts. Early seedling growth of both alfalfa and barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli) was significantly reduced by methanol extracts. By means of high-performance liquid chromatography, chlorogenic acid and trans-cinnamic acid were quantified as the highest amounts from water and EtOAc fractions, respectively. BuOH and EtOAc fractions of X. occidentale reduced alfalfa root growth more than did hexane and water fractions. The findings of the bioassays for aqueous or methanol extracts reflected that the inhibitory effect of extract was closely related to the level of responsible allelochemicals found in plant extracts.

Greenhouse and laboratory studies were conducted to determine the allelopathic potentials of extracts or residues from sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam). The extracts applied on filter paper in a Petri dish bioassay significantly inhibited root growth of alfalfa. Aqueous leachates at 40g dry tissue ~textrmL-1 (g ~textrmL-1 ) from leaves showed the highest inhibition against alfalfa, and followed by stems and roots. Alfalfa root growth was significantly inhibited by methanol extracts of the same plants as the concentration increased. The effect of residue incorporation into soil on seedling growth of com, soybean, barnyard grass and eclipta was examined in the greenhouse, and results showed that the leaf residues at 200g ~textrmkg-1 by plant parts inhibited shoot dry and root dry weights of test plants by 60-80%. By means of HPLC, causative allelopathic substances present in plant parts of sweet potato "Sinyulmi" were identified as coumarin, trans-cinnamic acid, o-coumaric acid, p-coumaric acid, and chlorogenic acid. Total content of these compounds for leaves extracts were detected as the greatest amount in EtOAc fraction, especially trans-cinnamic acid was the greatest component. These results suggest that sweet potato plants have herbicidal potentials, and that their activities exhibit differently depending on plant parts.ant parts.

Helianthus tuberosus has been known to inhibit the growth of weeds and other plants sharing its habitat. This study was conducted to identify the allelochemicals of Helianthus tuberosus which were extracted with water and solvents. Aqueous extracts of leaf, stem, root, tuber and tuber peel of Helianthus tuberosus except tuber did not show significant differences in phytotoxicity to alfalfa seedlings. It was considered that Helianthus tuberosus contained fewer or less potential water-soluble substances that were toxic to alfalfa. Methanol extract of leaves of Helianthus tuberosus was sequentially partitioned in increasing polarity with n-hexane, ethylacetate and n-butanol. Each extract had a yield of 148, 12, 15.7 and 9.5g, respectively. Inhibitory effects on germination of alfalfa seeds treated with four fractions were not significantly different. But the significant reductions on hypocotyl length were observed for all the solvent extracts. Among the four fractions, the ethylacetate fraction showed the most significant inhibition effect on bioassay with alfalfa. Further separation of the active ethylacetate fraction by open column chromatography led to the 25 subfractions. In bioassay of each sub-fraction with alfalfa seeds, sub-fraction No. 13 showed the most inhibitory effect on seedling growth. 1 H NMR and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that sub-fraction No. 13 was the mixture of straight-chain saturated fatty acids.