Th e aim of this study was to evaluate the phytotoxic potential of aqueous extract of young leaves of Sapindus saponaria L. (soapberry) on the diaspore germination and seedling growth Lactuca sativa L. (lettuce) and Allium cepa L. (onion), as well as to determine, by bioassay-guided fractioning, whether the fractionated extracts of those leaves are phytotoxic to Triticum aestivum L. (wheat) coleoptiles. Th e aqueous extract was prepared using 100 g of dried plant material dissolved in 1000 ml

more »

... distilled water, resulting in a concentration of 10.0%. Distilled water was added in order to obtain dilutions of 7.5%, 5.0%, and 2.5%. Th e extraction was carried out with young leaves (in powder form) and organic solvents of various polarities. We fractioned the ethyl acetate extract using column chromatography. Th e phytotoxic potential of the aqueous extract of young leaves S. saponaria varied according to the receiving species and the concentration-dependent inhibitory eff ect. Th e ethyl acetate extract, specifi cally fraction 6 (57-70), had the greatest inhibitory eff ect on the elongation of wheat coleoptiles, indicating that the compounds responsible for the phytotoxic eff ect reside within this fraction. Acta Botanica Brasilica 27(1): 62-70. 2013.