In this paper we investigated the action of the allelopathic properties of aqueous extracts of Crinum americanum L. on the percentage and average time of germination and initial growth of Lactuca sativa L., Sesamum indicum L. and Raphanus sativus L. and of the weed species: Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) P. Beauv., Ipomoea grandifolia (Dammer) O'Donell and Bidens pilosa L. We prepared aqueous extracts from individuals of C. americanum from a blind estuary in Caraguatatuba, São Paulo and set the osmotic control with PEG 6000. We analyzed the germination data with Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn's post test, and the initial growth data with ANOVA and Tukey's post test. For all the tested species the result we found out was a decrease in the germination and in the initial growth and an improvement of germination average time. The osmotic control indicated little influence of osmolarity on the tests. We concluded that C. americanum has allelopathic potential over the tested species.
allelopathy; macrophytes; Massaguaçu River; weed control
