Allelopathic Effects of Moringa oleifera Lam. on Cultivated and Non-Cultivated Plants: Implications for Crop Productivity and Sustainable Agriculture
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Date
2025-07-23
Open Access Location
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI (Basel, Switzerland)
Rights
(c) 2025 The Author/s
CC BY 4.0
CC BY 4.0
Abstract
Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) is widely recognised as a multipurpose crop suitable for human and animal consumption, medicinal, and industrial purposes, making it attractive for introduction into new ranges. Its extracts have been found to have beneficial impacts on various crop species and biological activity against multiple weeds, making their use in agriculture promising. However, concerns have also been raised about moringa’s potential to negatively impact the growth and development of other cultivated and non-cultivated plant species, especially in areas where it has been introduced outside its native range. To understand the positive and negative interactions between moringa and other plants, it is essential to investigate its allelopathic potential. Allelopathy is a biological activity by which one plant species produces and releases chemical compounds that influence the reproduction, growth, survival, or behaviour of other plants with either beneficial or detrimental effects on the receiver. Plants produce and release allelochemicals by leaching, volatilisation, or through root exudation. These biochemical compounds can affect critical biological processes such as seed germination, root and shoot elongation, photosynthesis, enzymatic activities, and hormonal balance in neighboring plants. Therefore, allelopathy is an important driver of plant composition and ecological interactions in an ecosystem. This review explores the positive and negative allelopathic effects of moringa extracts on other plant species, which may help to inform decisions regarding its introduction into new biogeographical regions and incorporation into existing farming systems, as well as the use of moringa plant extracts in agriculture.
Description
Keywords
allelochemicals, biostimulants, hormesis, inhibition, plant competition, productivity
Citation
Kamanga BM, Cartmill DL, McGill C, Clavijo McCormick A. (2025). Allelopathic Effects of Moringa oleifera Lam. on Cultivated and Non-Cultivated Plants: Implications for Crop Productivity and Sustainable Agriculture. Agronomy. 15. 8.