Abstract

The Experiment was conducted to investigate allelophatic effect of P. hysterophorous powder on seed emergence and seedling growth of Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica L.) in greenhouseat Jimma University College of Agriculture and veterinary medicine greenhouse in 2017/18. The dried parthenium parts (Flower, Leaf, Stem, Root and whole part) ground separately using pestle and mortar. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications in factorial arrangement. The treatments included 5x5 treatment combination five parthenium powder amount (2.5g, 5.0g, 7.5g and 10g) with five plant parts (Whole part, Flower, Stem, Root and Leaf) of parthenium incorporated into 2.0kg sterilized soil into pots arranged in greenhouse and watered for a week before sowing to simulate the natural field conditions and for decomposition. The results revealed that soil incorporated parthenium powder amount showed stimulatory allelopathic effect on coffee seed emergence percentage and seedling growth parameters such as leaf number, leaf area, stem girth plant height and chlorophyll content. The result revealed that soil incorporated parthenium hysterophorus powders of different parts with different amount positively affected (stimulated) coffee seed emergence and seedling growth parameters. However, this allelopathic activity of the weed may be different in field conditions due to the large difference of environmental conditions. Therefore, further investigations of long term field experiments should be establish to determine the inhibitory and /or stimulatory effect of parthenium on coffee emergence and seedling growth, to determine effective and optimum powder amount of parthenium plant that stimulate or inhibit coffee emergence and growth parameters

Keywords: Allelophatic; Coffee; Parthenium hysterophorus; Powder; Seedling growth