Author(s)

Chukwudi Christopher Ubazi^1*, Bello Muhammad Abdulkarim¹, Josiah Chukwudi Onovo¹, Racheal Ozofu Ewule², Shatu Wudiri Asala², Peter Napoleon Idachaba³

¹Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria.
²Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria.
³Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria.

A laboratory study was carried out to evaluate the effect of leaf aqueous extract of Jatropha curcas L. on germination and early shoot growth of four pepper (Capsicum) species at the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology Laboratory, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria. Data collected were percentage inhibition and shoot length. Results from the experiment indicated that there was significant difference between the treatments (4%, 8%, 12%, 16% and 20%) and the control (0%) and within the treatments at P ≤ 0.05. All the test crops were affected by different concentrations of the aqueous extracts and the most pronounced effect was at 12%, 16% and 20% concentrations of the extracts in all cases respectively. Germination, shooting were inhibited completely at higher concentrations in the cases when compared with the control. The inhibitory effect was found to be concentration dependent and may be due to the presence of water soluble allelochemicals like phenols, tannins and azeliac acid.

Jatropha curcas, Capsicum, Aqueous, Allelochemicals, Phenols, Azeliac

Ubazi, C. , Abdulkarim, B. , Onovo, J. , Ewule, R. , Asala, S. and Idachaba, P. (2020) Effects of Allelochemical of Jatropha curcas L. Leachate on Germination and Shooting of Four (4) Pepper (Capsicum) Species in Keffi Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Open Access Library Journal, 7, 1-8. doi: 10.4236/oalib.1106098.