Abstract

This experiment was carried out to study various biological and ecological features of Tinospora cordifoliaand physico-chemical characteristics of its rhizosphere soil, and determine the effect on the growth of some weed plants (that is, Chenopodium album L., Chenopodium murale L., Cassia tora L. and Cassia sopheraL.). Root length, shoot length and dry weight of seedlings of tested plants decreased significantly when plants were grown in the rhizosphere soil of T. cordifolia. The rhizosphere and control soil were analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, organic matter, available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micro-nutrients such as sodium, iron, manganese and zinc. The pH of rhizosphere soil decreased compared to control whereas the conductivity, organic carbon and organic matter increased. The presence of a significantly high amount of phenolics in the rhizosphere soil indicates their possible interaction with soil chemical properties. This was also indicated by the correlation analysis between phenolics and various properties.

Key words: Phenolics, rhizosphere soil, Tinospora cordifolia.