Research of an allelopathic effect of Acacia mearnsii (De Wild.) and Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Dehn) on the growth of Quercus suber (L.)

Abstract: The biological invasion by exotic plants is one of the biggest threats of biodiversity extinction. The success of some invasive species has been linked to the release of allelochemical compounds that affect the native plants growth. The aim of this study is to investigate the allelopathic effect of Acacia mearnsii (De Wild.) invasive species in cork oak forests of the El Kala’s National Park (North-East of Algeria) and the Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Dehn) on cork oak (Quercus suber L.) growth. The allelopathic potential of different concentrations of solution extracts of the leaves, pods, and litter of A. mearnsii and E. camaldulensis leaves was tested on the growth of Q. suber (L.). The primary results show a remarkable negative effect of aqueous extracts (A. mearnsii leaves, E. camaldulensis leaves and litter) on the root’s growth of the cork oak seedlings as well as the ectomycorrhizal (ECM): Control of cork oak represented by 47.8% mycorrhizal rate compared with eucalyptus with 1.4% followed by litter and acacia, respectively, with 1.6% and 5.4% mycorhization rate.