Wheat producers reported that yields following canola were reduced - and attributed this to allelopathy. Red clover appears to be allelopathic to corn. Two researchers, Putnam and Tang at Colorado State University, have suggested that allelopathic characteristics are more likely to occur in wild types of crop precursors that have evolved in competition with other species than in our currently popular cultivars. A study by Wu of New South Wales found that some wheat cultivars significantly inhibited both germination and radicle growth of annual ryegrass. The allelopathic potential of wheat cultivars was positively correlated with their total phenolic content.
Crop residues can have allelopathic effects as they decay.
Decomposing plant residues might either inhibit or stimulate plant growth, and that inhibition may be confined to a limited period of time. For example, the most severe inhibition by plant residues occurs at the early stages of residue decomposition, whereas at later stages the inhibition declines while stimulation gradually emerges. Farmers should be aware of those effects and manage accordingly. Go to more feature stories arranged by category. You are the 694th person to access this page.