Phytotoxic impact of leaf extracts of Bombax ceiba L. (Bombax ceiba) and Populus deltoides L. (Poplar) on the growth of Triticum aestivum (Wheat)

The research aimed to investigate the allelopathic effects of leaf extracts from Populus deltoides and Bombax ceiba trees in an agroforestry setting during November 2021-2022 at the Department of Forestry and Range Management, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. The study assessed the impact of both tree species on various growth parameters of wheat, including germination, radicle and plumule length, plant height, number of productive tillers, spike length, spikelets per spike, grains per spike, 100-grain weight, leaf area index, leaf area duration, leaf proline, chlorophyll content, leaf malondialdehyde content, osmotic potential, water potential, and pressure potential. The experiment employed a completely randomized design (CRD), with wheat grown in pots and subjected to four different concentrations of leaf extracts (0g L-1, 5g L-1, 10g L-1, 15g L-1) for each tree species separately. The results indicated significant inhibitory effects of Populus deltoides on wheat compared to Bombax ceiba, especially with increasing concentrations of leaf extract from both tree species.