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© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

The cover crop Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br. (pearl millet) reduces the emergence of weed species in the field through a mechanism that is not fully known. The identification of the allelopathic activity of pearl millet can contribute to the development of no-tillage techniques to produce crops without or with low doses of herbicides. This issue was investigated by testing the effects of extracts from the aerial parts of pearl millet on the germination and growth of the weeds Bidens pilosa L., Euphorbia heterophylla L., and Ipomoea grandifolia (Dammer) O’Donell under laboratory conditions. The ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) at a concentration of 2000 µg mL−1 was inactive on Bidens pilosa; it inhibited root length (−72%) and seedling fresh weight (−41%) of E. heterophylla, and in I. grandifolia the length of primary root and aerial parts and the fresh and dry weight of seedlings were reduced by 63%, 32%, 25%, and 12%, respectively. In roots of I. grandifolia seedlings, at the initial development stage, EAF induced oxidative stress and increased electrolyte leakage. At the juvenile vegetative stage, a lower concentration of EAF (250 µg mL−1) induced a stimulus in seedling growth (+60% in root length and +23% in aerial parts length) that was associated with increased photosynthetic efficiency. However, at higher concentrations (1000 µg mL−1), it induced the opposite effects, inhibiting the growth of root (−41%) and aerial parts (−25%), with reduced superoxide dismutase activity and photosynthetic efficiency. The stilbenoid pallidol was identified as the main compound in EAF. The allelopathic activity of pearl millet may be attributed, at least in part, to the impairment of energy metabolism and the induction of oxidative stress in weed seedlings, with pallidol possibly involved in this action. Such findings demonstrated that the application of the EAF extract from pearl millet can be a natural and renewable alternative tool for weed control.

Details

Title
Pearl Millet Cover Crop Extract Inhibits the Development of the Weed Ipomoea grandifolia by Inducing Oxidative Stress in Primary Roots and Affecting Photosynthesis Efficiency
Author
Mantovanelli, Gislaine Cristiane 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Silva, Adriano Antônio 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Letycia Lopes Ricardo 3 ; Fernanda Lima Kagami 1 ; Jéssica Dario de Almeida 1 ; Barbosa, Mauro Cezar 1 ; Mito, Márcio Shigueaki 1 ; Isabela de Carvalho Contesoto 1 ; Paulo Vinicius Moreira da Costa Menezes 1 ; Gabriel Felipe Stulp 1 ; Beatriz Pereira Moreno 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Francielli Alana Pereira Valeze 4 ; Rubem Silvério de Oliveira Junior 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Baldoqui, Debora Cristina 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Emy Luiza Ishii Iwamoto 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Laboratory of Biological Oxidations, Department of Biochemistry, State University of Maringa, Maringa 87020-900, PR, Brazil; [email protected] (G.C.M.); [email protected] (F.L.K.); [email protected] (J.D.d.A.); [email protected] (M.C.B.); [email protected] (M.S.M.); [email protected] (I.d.C.C.); [email protected] (P.V.M.d.C.M.); [email protected] (G.F.S.) 
 Federal University of Southern Frontier, Realeza Campus, Realeza 85770-000, PR, Brazil; [email protected] 
 Faculty of Biopark, Toledo 85919-899, PR, Brazil; [email protected] 
 Laboratory of Synthesis and Natural Products, Department of Chemistry, State University of Maringa, Maringa 87020-900, PR, Brazil; [email protected] (B.P.M.); [email protected] (F.A.P.V.); [email protected] (D.C.B.) 
 Department of Agronomy, State University of Maringa, Maringa 87020-900, PR, Brazil; [email protected] 
First page
222
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
22237747
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3159571211
Copyright
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.