Hoeing as a Possibility for Mechanical Weed Control in Winter Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus L.)

The framework conditions for chemical weed control in oilseed rape (OSR) are becoming increasingly unfavorable in Central Europe. On the one hand, weed resistance is spreading and, on the other, there is a growing social desire to reduce or eliminate the use of chemical crop protection products. In a field experiment, hoeing, as a weed control measure performed two times per growing season (one time in autumn and one time in spring) in oilseed rape (Brassica napus; two varieties), was compared to chemical control by herbicides and a combination of hoeing and herbicide application (five treatments altogether). The chemical control by herbicides consisted of a broad-spectrum pre-emergence treatment and a post-emergence graminicide application. The trial was set up in each of three periods (years 2014/2015, 2015/2016, and 2016/2017) at the experimental station Ihinger Hof, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany. The effect of the treatments on weed plant density, weed biomass at the time of harvesting, and on OSR grain yield was investigated. Weed plant density was measured four times per trial year, each time before and after hoeing. In 2015/2016 after spring hoeing, and in 2016/2017 at all data collection times, weed plant density was significantly higher in hoeing without herbicide application than in the other variants. No significant differences occurred at the other data collection times. The weed plant density ranged from 0.5 to 57.8 plants m−2. Regardless of the trial year, pure hoeing always resulted in a significantly higher weed biomass at the time of harvesting than the herbicide applications or the combinations. The weed biomass at the time of harvesting ranged between 0.1 and 54.7 g m−2. No significant differences in grain yield between hoeing and herbicide application occurred in all three trial years. According to the results, hoeing is a suitable extension of existing integrated weed control strategies in OSR.

BIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF FLOWERS OF Vinca major, A MEDICINAL WEED PLANT OF HILLY AREAS OF PAKISTAN

Vinca major L. is an evergreen perennial weed of family Apocynaceae, growing naturally in hilly areas of Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Flowers of this weed were collected from Khanspur, Ayubia during June 2021, shade dried and extracted in pure methanol for two weeks. After filtration, the extract was analyzed by GC-MS for identification of possible bioactive compounds. α-Amyrin was the major compounds (32.49%) followed by lup-20(29)-en-3-ol, acetate, (3β)- (25.72%). Moderately abundant compounds included γ-sitosterol (8.78%), β-amyrone (7.25%), cyclohexane, 1,3,5-triphenyl- (7.01%), olean-12-en-3-ol, acetate, (3β)- (5.68%), and n-hexadecanoic acid (3.18%). Some of the identified compounds have various important biological properties including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, antimalarial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antitumor etc.

First Report on the Occurrence of Benzoxazinoids in an Invasive Weed Plant, Woolly Cupgrass (Eriochloa villosa (Thunb./Kunth)

Woolly cupgrass (Eriochloa villosa /Thunb./ Kunth) is a common weed in East Asia and North America. This weed plant spreading quickly in Europa. There are several reasons for the successfulness, especially its germination properties. As other Panicoideae species contain benzoxazinoids it was supposed that woolly cupgrass also contains these chemicals. For this reason the benzoxazinoid content of plants at the stage of flowering was investigated. As it was supposed, woolly cupgrass contain benzoxazinoids, which is a novel occurrence of these chemicals in Poaceae family.

Calotropis gigantea Linn. - An Indian Traditional Medicine Treasure

Calotropis belongs to two species, the majority of which are native to India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. Calotropis gigantea, also known as giant milk weed plant that grows in large quantities, is a member of the Apocynaceae (Asclepidiaceae) family of latex-producing plants. Traditionally C. gigantea is used to treat a variety of diseases and ethno-medicinal claims. In the last few decades, sophisticated analytical methods have been used to study C. gigantea for its medicinal properties and a number of bioactive compounds have been isolated and analyzed from various parts of the plant. Analgesic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-pyretic, insecticidal, cytotoxic, hepatoprotective, pregnancy-interrupting, purgative, procoagulant, and wound-healing properties have been identified and found to be effective which make it a valuable source of therapeutic compounds. This review attempts to cover ethnobotany, pharmacology, phytochemistry, and phytopharmacological activities of C. gigantea.

BIOHERBISIDA SEBAGAI PENGARUH NEGATIF TERHADAP TANAMAN BAWANG DAUN

Indonesia is a tropical country that has a high biodiversity of both its flora and fauna.Plants are able to flourish both with high economical value as well as plants that have no high economical value.Growth that does not have a high economical value one of them is weed crops.Weed crops flourish in agricultural and plantation areas. The presence of this weed plant is able to mangakibatkan the underlying plant is disturbed growth because weed plants have the same condition of growing with the staple plants then need to be held weed crop control to improve the production of staple crops.Weeds and Babadotans have active compounds that can inhibit the growth of staple crops.The mechanism of action of alelopathy is able to inhibit crops in absorbing nutrients from the environment and affect the normal growth of plants.The roots are entrances for nutrients and water from the ground, which is essential for the soil's physiological process.Water absorption barriers caused the process of photosynthesis because water is a raw material of photosynthesis.In addition the process of exchanging water, CO2, and O2 in the stomata of the leaves needed in the metabolism of corn seedlings is hindered due to the impact of the alelopathy of weed extracts, resulting in a decrease in wet weights and stunted photosynthesis caused a slightly low dry weight.The mechanism of alelopathy is able to reduce the content of chlorophyll and the rate of photosynthesis.

Antagonistic activity of endophytic bacteria isolated from weed plant against stem end rot pathogen of pitaya in Vietnam

Background Fungal stem end rot disease of pitaya caused by Alternaria alternata is one of the most destructive diseases in Binh Thuan province, Vietnam. This study aimed to assess the antagonistic effects of some endophytic bacteria isolated from the weed plant (Echinochloa colonum) against A. alternata. Results A total of 19 endophytic bacteria were isolated and 5 of them presented in vitro antagonistic activity against A. alternata. Of five, strain EC80 significantly inhibited the pathogenic growth with a mean inhibition diameter of 11.88 ± 0.08 mm, while the other four (C79, EC83, EC90, and EC97) showed a weak inhibition. Interestingly, the combination of EC79 and EC80 reduced more biomass of pathogenic fungi than the single one did. EC79 showed positive results for amylase, indole acetic acid (IAA), and biofilm production, whereas EC80 presented positive capabilities for IAA and biofilm production and a negative one for amylase production. In addition, the combined filtrate of EC79 and EC80 presented non-antifungal activity on biocontrol tests in vitro, indicating that bacteria cells played a role in defending against the pathogen. Moreover, both isolates EC79 and EC80 significantly increased seedling biomass than the control. Conclusions The results suggest that those two strains in combination had the potential to be used as a biocontrol agent against A. alternata. More studies should be done in the future to evaluate their efficiency under the field conditions.