Allelopathic Activity of Coffee Against Cicer arietinum and Triticum aestivum

The present study aimed the evaluation of allelopathic effect of aqueous extract of coffee (Coffea arabica) against germination and radicle growth of Cicer arietinum and Triticum aestivum seeds. The extract at different concentrations was incubated in controlled conditions with the surface sterilized seeds of C. arietinum and T. aestivum and observed periodically for seed germination and radicle growth to assess the allelopathic behaviour. The extract mainly at higher concentrations demonstrated promising allelopathic potential by significantly affecting seed germination and radicle elongation of both C. arietinum and T. aestivum in a concentration dependent manner. C. arietinum was found to be more sensitive than T. aestivum. The present study demonstrated remarkable allelopathic potential of coffee against the test seeds. The effect was plausibly due to the alkaloid and polyphenols contents of coffee.