Chemical Constituents of Lagenaria breviflora (Roberty) Seed Extracts and Their Allelopathic Effects on White Corn (Zea mays)

Abstract

Lagenaria breviflora Roberty is a cucurbitaceous plant with reported phytochemical and biological activities. This study investigated the chemical constituents of hexane, dichloromethane, chloroform, and methanol seed extracts and evaluated their allelopathic effects on white corn (Zea mays) germination. Seed extracts were prepared by maceration and analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Germination tests were conducted at extract concentrations of 5%, 10%, 20%, and 50%, with 1% dimethyl sulfoxide as the control solvent. The hexane extract was characterised mainly by linoleic acid (20.55%), n-hexadecanoic acid (14.27%), and oleic acid (9.75%). The dichloromethane extract contained high proportions of n-hexadecanoic acid (37.35%) and tridecanoic acid (37.35%), while the chloroform extract contained (Z,Z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid (26.66%), oleic acid (7.75%), lanosterol (6.79%), and phytol (5.20%). In the methanol extract, 9-oxononanoic acid (12.15%), (E)-2-octenoic acid (9.08%), n-hexadecanoic acid (5.36%), and 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (5.11%) were prominent. Germination ranged from 80.0–83.3% for hexane, 73.3–83.3% for dichloromethane, 80.0–90.0% for chloroform, and 80.0–90.0% for methanol treatments. The observed responses varied with extract type and concentration, indicating solvent-dependent differences in phytochemical composition and germination response under the experimental conditions.