Allelopathic Properties of Ipomoea Hildebrandtii Vatke

Abstract

The use of synthetic pesticides to alleviate the notorious weeds in farms has caused environmental pollution, consumption of chemicals absorbed by plants and resistance posed by the weeds putting agricultural development and ecological systems under threat. The main reason for study of allelopathic effect of the plant include; its application of observed allelopathic effects to agricultural production, reduction of inputs to chemical pesticides uses, resultant environmental pollution and for provision of fruitful method for sustainable development of agriculture and ecological systems. This study made the use of allelochemicals produced by the invasive Ipomoea hildebrandtii to provide an effective method of controlling weeds through biological control method which is environmentally friendly as compared to the conventional chemical method. Extraction was done and concentrated by rotary evaporator, pH of the soil under which the plant grew was determined. The allelopathic test was done at different concentrations in petri dishes on Phaseolus vulgaris and the characterization of the plant compounds done by Ultra Violet coupled to visible region, Fourier Transform Infra-Red, and Gas Chromatograph -Mass Spectroscopy. The leave extract was more effective in allelopathic effect on the plant than the stem extract, that means the inhibiting compounds are more concentrated in the leaves than the stem.