Medicinal plants can help control weeds, says study

VADODARA: A research study undertaken by a professor at MS University's department of botany has resulted in the identification of over 25 medicinal allelopathic plants that can be used to control the growth of weeds in agriculture. These plants when used as bio-herbicides and planted alongside the crops help in curbing the growth of weeds by destroying them naturally without affecting the crop, soil and water.
Allelopathy is the potential of a plant to suppress the growth of another plant by releasing certain chemicals produced by the plant. In nature, plants use their allelopathic qualities as their means of survival for reducing competition from nearby plants. Also considered to be Mother Nature's own weed killer, these plants greatly affect the growth of weeds through leaching, decomposition and other processes in both natural and agricultural systems.
"During our study we identified medicinal plants with potential allelopathic properties that include Artemisia, Ocimum Sanctum, commonly known as Basil, Chirayata and various others. As part of our field experiments we planted these allelopathic plants and checked for seed germination. We got promising results wherein the plants destroyed the unwanted plants surrounding the crops," said professor Neeta Pandya, who is conducting the study.
"During crop plantation, these plants can be planted in three methods that include cover cropping wherein the plants are planted surrounding the boundary of the crop plantation, in the inter cropping method, one patch of crop alongside another patch of allelopathic plants, while the third method of rotational cropping requires planting the crops and the medicinal plants in two phases," said Shivangi Purohit, a research scholar, who is assisting in the study.
"The vast usage of chemical herbicides in crop plantation has adversely affected yield. The synthetic and chemical herbicides used in fields lead to soil degradation and water pollution. The chemicals get absorbed in the soil and water and also have a negative impact on the food chain," said Pandya.