Effect of sugarcane leaf extracts (Saccharum spp) on seedling growth of mono and dicotyledonous species

SAMPIETRO, D.A.; VATTUONE, M.A.; ISLA, M. I.

Tucumán (Argentina)

Congreso; XX Annual Meeting of Tucuman Biology Society; 2003

Tucuman Biology Society

Germination, root length and shoot elongation assays are often used to evaluate the phytotoxic effect of plant extracts. When germination and postgermination growth are evaluated in the same bioassay, root and shoot length reduction could be a consequence of a seed germination delay. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of aqueous leaf extracts of sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) on seedling shoot and root length using seeds and pregerminated seeds. Seventeen seeds or pregerminated seeds on lettuce, tomato, carrot, radish, morning glory, onion, sorghum and wheat were placed in each Petri dish on Whatman Nº1 paper and 3 ml of solution (extract, mannitol or distilled water) was added. After a suitable time, shoot and root elongation were measured. Most of the test species have a similar response in seed and pregerminated seed bioassays. Seed germination of carrot and tomato was 100% inhibited at 1.1 and 2 mM total phenolic content, respectively. Assays with pregerminated seeds at 2 mM total phenolic compounds showed a 66 and 79% of root length reduction, respectively. Our results suggest that germination and postgermination growth must be evaluated in differet assays, specially when test species are very sensitive to plant extracts.