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Term created in 1937 designates the favorable or unfavorable effect of one plant on another

Allelopathy, from the Greek allulon, which means opposite, and ducks, patio, which means suffering, is a term created in 1937 by the Austrian researcher Hans Molisch to designate the favorable or unfavorable effect of one plant on another.

allelopathy concept

The phenomenon of allelopathy is defined as the “process involving secondary metabolites produced by plants, algae, bacteria and fungi that influence the growth and development of biological systems.” According to Molisch, allelopathy is “the capacity of plants, superior or inferior, to produce chemical substances that, released into the environment of others, influence their development in a favorable or unfavorable way".

allelopathy

The antagonistic relationship between two or more plants occurs mainly as a result of exudates (from Latin exude, which means to flow out; refers to the exit of organic liquids through cell walls and membranes, both in animals and plants, by injury or inflammation) expelled by the roots.

When the allelopathy between two or more plants is favorable, they are called companion plants.

When observing the allelopathic relationships between plants, care must be taken not to confuse the management conditions with the allelopathy itself.

Sometimes inappropriate location such as very small vases; soils that are too acidic or alkaline for certain species; exposure to too much or too little sun, exposure to wind and/or excessive humidity may be the triggering factors for damage to the plants, and not the relationship between them.

The effects of allelopathy can be manifested both by poor development in plant tissues and by the impossibility of seed germination.

However, it is noteworthy that there is no bad or good plant. The excretion of toxic substances that harm other plants is a mere plant survival strategy. Likewise, there are no weeds, there are indicator herbs. If in your garden you are growing some type of vegetable that you do not like, it is necessary to observe the environmental conditions that allow the growth of this plant and the non-development of other plants of interest to you.

Allelopathy Examples

Examples of favorable allelopathy (companion plants) are corn with potatoes, spinach with strawberries, garlic with vetch, beets with cabbage and lettuce, carrots with peas, among others.

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Examples of unfavorable allelopathy are kale with tomato, fennel with white beans and tomato.

The raccoon inhibits the turnip and stimulates the tomato.

The lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) inhibits the growth of lettuce and beggarticks.

Eucalyptus is one of the main growth inhibitors of vegetables such as mustard (Brassica Countryside), the cabbage (Brassica oleracea), the arugula (eruca sativa), the lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv), the tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum), the radish (Raphanus sativus), among others.

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The false-boldo extract (Coleus barbatus B.) presents positive allelopathy on the development of the aerial part of germinated lettuce seeds. The onion responds in a similar way to lettuce, however, in its case, the positive response already occurs in germination, where this is stimulated.

Papaya has substances called gibberellins and cytokinins that can inhibit the germination of several plants such as lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and even papaya itself. The growth inhibitor present in papaya seeds is caricacin, which, on the other hand, can also present positive allelopathy in corn root development.

These are just examples of allelopathy, edible vegetables are varied and there is no one recipe for all species. To learn about the interaction of plants and their allelopathic relationships, the ideal is to learn by doing. So don't be afraid to play with the earth!