2019 Volume 29 Issue 1 Pages 1-10
Secondary metabolites from plants have long been considered as “waste products” or “storage materials”, however it has become clear in recent years that they have important functions in plant survival strategy. Such a function may be higly prominent in desert plants where competition for survival is very intense. In this paper, search for the allelopathic activity of desert plants in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was conducted for the purpose of utilising the most efficient desert plants.
Concequently, the leaves, fruits and other parts of 22 plants growing in the desert area of Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region were examined by the “Sandwich Method” which is widely used to assay allelopathy of plant parts. The results of the test are as follows: Hippophae rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) 96%, Artemisia sphaerocephala （Round Wormwood） 94%, Salsola collina (Common Russianthistle) 92%, Artemisia annua (Sweet annie) 87%, Platycodon grandiflorus (Ballon Flower) 87%, Salix psammophila (Desert Willow) 85%, and Agriophyllum squarrosum (Sand Rice) 83% (in order from strong to weak). Strong activity was observed in most of the species. As a result of the bioassay by the dishpack method, which tests the allelopathy of plant volatile substances, strong activity was observed in the order of Artemisia annua 89%, Sabina vulgaris (Smell Kashiwa) 77%, Artemisia sphaerocephala 54%, Artemisia ordosia (strong to weak) 52%.
The strongest Sea Buckthorn fruit inhibited the growth of the recipient plant lettuce by 96% at 10 mg-dry weight/10 mL agar. Sarcosine and asparagine were detected as candidates for potential allelochemical as a result of GC-MS analysis of water extract of Sea Buckthorn fruit.
In the test of volatile substances of Sweet annie, the growth of the recipient plant lettuce was in hibited and 1,8-cineole was detected as the major compound by GC-MS analysis.
