Abstract
Germination and seedling growth of Achyranthes aspera L. and Peristrophe bicalyculata (Retz.) Nees under influence of each other’s aqueous shoot and root extracts or against their own extracts, expressed as single value of inhibition index across the whole range of extract concentrations indicated more Autotoxic sensitivity in P. bicalyculata than A. aspera. P. bicalyculata was more susceptible to A. aspera, which was reciprocally less susceptible to P. bicalyculata. Shoot extract of both species was more toxic than root extract. Furthermore, shoot extract of one species was more toxic to root growth of other species (overall inhibition: 56.2 – 60.6%) than to the shoot growth (overall inhibition: 22.0 – 30.6%). In both cases root extracts didn’t show any deleterious effects on shoot growth of other species, however, root extracts inhibited root growth more or less equally in either case (overall inhibition: 8.7 – 12.8%).
