Articles
Parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus L.) effects on the yield of Brassica oleracea var. acephala
Article number
1348_25
Pages
185 – 188
Language
English
Abstract
Invasive alien species (IAS) have a detrimental influence on biodiversity, ecological services, and human well-being.
IAS is one of the gravest concerns to biodiversity loss, extinction of species, global food security, and livelihoods globally.
One of the IAS in Kenya is parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus). Allelopathic qualities of the plant impede the development and germination of food crop species.
Due to the potential threat to agriculture, biodiversity, and human health, it has been designated as an obnoxious weed in Kenya.
This study looked at the impact of parthenium on kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala), a popular vegetable in Kenya known as Sukuma Wiki. At the flowering stage, potted parthenium weed plants were introduced into 1-m2 plots each containing ten Brassica oleracea plants using the complete randomized design with three replicates per treatment. Brassica oleracea plots without parthenium weed were used as controls.
Data were obtained after 30 days by collecting the fifth leaf from each treatment.
An electronic balance was used to calculate the wet weight for each experiment.
Laboratory experiments in triplicate were carried out to test the effects of the aqueous extract of parthenium on the germination, growth and biomass of B. oleracea. IBM SPSS Statistics 20 was used to analyse data.
A T-test with a 5% level of significance was used to compare means while one way ANOVA was used to compare germination, seedling growth and biomass data.
Presence of parthenium weed lowered Brassica oleracea var. acephala productivity by 38.2% while parthenium plant extracts significantly decreased germination (P-value=.002) seedling growth (P-value=.003) and biomass (P-value=.021). Parthenium hysterophorus should be eradicated to avoid significant yield losses in kale (B. oleracea var. acephala) in Kenya.
IAS is one of the gravest concerns to biodiversity loss, extinction of species, global food security, and livelihoods globally.
One of the IAS in Kenya is parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus). Allelopathic qualities of the plant impede the development and germination of food crop species.
Due to the potential threat to agriculture, biodiversity, and human health, it has been designated as an obnoxious weed in Kenya.
This study looked at the impact of parthenium on kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala), a popular vegetable in Kenya known as Sukuma Wiki. At the flowering stage, potted parthenium weed plants were introduced into 1-m2 plots each containing ten Brassica oleracea plants using the complete randomized design with three replicates per treatment. Brassica oleracea plots without parthenium weed were used as controls.
Data were obtained after 30 days by collecting the fifth leaf from each treatment.
An electronic balance was used to calculate the wet weight for each experiment.
Laboratory experiments in triplicate were carried out to test the effects of the aqueous extract of parthenium on the germination, growth and biomass of B. oleracea. IBM SPSS Statistics 20 was used to analyse data.
A T-test with a 5% level of significance was used to compare means while one way ANOVA was used to compare germination, seedling growth and biomass data.
Presence of parthenium weed lowered Brassica oleracea var. acephala productivity by 38.2% while parthenium plant extracts significantly decreased germination (P-value=.002) seedling growth (P-value=.003) and biomass (P-value=.021). Parthenium hysterophorus should be eradicated to avoid significant yield losses in kale (B. oleracea var. acephala) in Kenya.
Publication
Authors
B. Mutua, V. Ngure, W. Chiuri, V. Kimani
Keywords
Parthenium hysterophorus, Brassica oleracea, climate change, weed management, yield losses
Groups involved
- Division Plant Genetic Resources, Breeding and Biotechnology
- Division Tropical and Subtropical Fruit and Nuts
- Division Temperate Tree Fruits
- Division Temperate Tree Nuts
- Division Vine and Berry Fruits
- Division Ornamental Plants
- Division Vegetables, Roots and Tubers
- Division Plant-Environment Interactions in Field Systems
- Division Greenhouse and Indoor Production Horticulture
- Division Postharvest and Quality Assurance
- Division Precision Horticulture and Engineering
- Division Horticulture for Human Health
- Division Sustaining Horticulture in a Changing World
- Division Landscape and Urban Horticulture
Online Articles (44)