In the modern world, wheat, a vital global cereal and the second most consumed, is vulnerable to climate change impacts. These include erratic rainfall and extreme temperatures, endangering global food security. Research on hydrogen-rich water (HRW) has gained momentum in plant and agricultural sciences due to its diverse functions. This study examined the effects of different HRW treatment durations on wheat, revealing that the 4-h treatment had the highest germination rate, enhancing potential, vigor, and germination indexes. This treatment also boosted relative water content, root and shoot weight, and average lengths. Moreover, the 4-h HRW treatment resulted in the highest chlorophyll and soluble protein concentrations in seeds while reducing cell death. The 4-h and 5-h HRW treatments significantly increased H2O2 levels, with the highest NO detected in both root and shoot after 4-h HRW exposure. Additionally, HRW-treated seeds exhibited increased Zn and Fe concentrations, along with antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT, SOD, APX) in roots and shoots. These findings suggest that HRW treatment could enhance wheat seed germination, growth, and nutrient absorption, thereby increasing agricultural productivity. Molecular analysis indicated significant upregulation of the Dreb1 gene with a 4-h HRW treatment. Thus, it shows promise in addressing climate change effects on wheat production. Therefore, HRW treatment could be a hopeful strategy for enhancing wheat plant drought tolerance, requiring further investigation (field experiments) to validate its impact on plant growth and drought stress mitigation.
Conyza sumatrensis (Retz.) E. H. Walker is an obnoxious weed, emerging as an invasive species globally. Seed germination biology of four populations of the species stemming from arid, semi-arid, temperate, and humid regions was determined in this study. Seed germination was recorded under six different environmental cues (i.e., light/dark periods, constant and alternating day and night temperatures, pH, salinity, and osmotic potential levels) in separate experiment for each cue. Populations were main factor, whereas levels of each environmental cue were considered as sub-factor. The impact of seed burial depths on seedling emergence was inferred in a greenhouse pot experiment. Seed germination was recorded daily and four germination indices, i.e., seed germination percentage, mean germination time, time to reach 50% germination, and mean daily germination were computed. Tested populations and levels of different environmental cues had significant impact on various seed germination indices. Overall, seeds stemming from arid and semi-arid regions had higher seed germination potential under stressful and benign environmental conditions compared to temperate and humid populations. Seed of all populations required a definite light period for germination and 12 hours alternating light and dark period resulted in the highest seed germination. Seed germination of all populations occurred under 5-30°C constant and all tested alternate day and night temperatures. However, the highest seed germination was recorded under 20°C. Seeds of arid and semi-arid populations exhibited higher germination under increased temperature, salinity and osmotic potential levels indicating that maternal environment strongly affected germination traits of the tested populations. The highest seed germination of the tested populations was noted under neutral pH, while higher and lower pH than neutral had negative impact on seed germination. Arid and semi-arid populations exhibited higher seed germination under increased pH compared to temperate and humid populations. Seed burial depth had a significant effect on the seedling emergence of all tested populations. An initial increase was noted in seedling emergence percentage with increasing soil depth. However, a steep decline was recorded after 2 cm seed burial depth. These results indicate that maternal environment strongly mediates germination traits of different populations. Lower emergence from >4 cm seed burial depth warrants that deep burial of seeds and subsequent zero or minimum soil disturbance could aid the management of the species in agricultural habitats. However, management strategies should be developed for other habitats to halt the spread of the species.
Diet is an important variable in the course of type 2 diabetes, which has generated interest in dietary options like germinated brown rice (GBR) for effective management of the disease among rice-consuming populations. In vitro data and animal experiments show that GBR has potentials as a functional diet for managing this disease, and short-term clinical studies indicate encouraging results. Mechanisms for antidiabetic effects of GBR due to bioactive compounds like γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), γ-oryzanol, dietary fibre, phenolics, vitamins, acylated steryl β-glucoside, and minerals include antihyperglycemia, low insulin index, antioxidative effect, antithrombosis, antihypertensive effect, hypocholesterolemia, and neuroprotective effects. The evidence so far suggests that there may be enormous benefits for diabetics in rice-consuming populations if white rice is replaced with GBR. However, long-term clinical studies are still needed to verify these findings on antidiabetic effects of GBR. Thus, we present a review on the antidiabetic properties of GBR from relevant preclinical and clinical studies, in order to provide detailed information on this subject for researchers to review the potential of GBR in combating this disease.
The desiccation and freezing tolerance of seeds, with and without testas, and embryonic axes of Citrus aurantifolia were investigated. Seeds were desiccated with silica gel, under the laminar air flow cabinet or by placing them on a laboratory bench. Whatever the desiccation method employed, survival before and after cryopreservation was higher for seeds without testas. When freezing intact seeds, the highest survival percentage (41.3 %) was achieved after desiccation to 7.3 % moisture content (fresh weight basis) on the laboratory bench. Survival of seeds cryopreserved without testas could reach up to 85 % after desiccation under the laminar air flow cabinet or on the laboratory bench, corresponding to moisture contents of 7.1 and 4.5 %, respectively. After desiccation with silica gel, survival reached a maximum of 60.0 %, for a seed moisture content of 3.3 %. Survival of control embryonic axes was high (80-100 %) whatever the sucrose concentration in the preculture medium and the duration of the desiccation period. After cryopreservation, no survival was noted with embryonic axes, which had not been precultured nor desiccated. Survival of non-desiccated embryonic axes after cryopreservation increased progressively in line with increasing sucrose concentrations in the preculture medium, from 7.5 % with 0.1 M sucrose to 77.5 % with 0.7 M sucrose. Survival of desiccated and cryopreserved embryos was always high, whatever the preculture treatment and desiccation period, ranging from 55.8 % to 92.5 %.
Rice is an important staple crop produced and consumed worldwide. However, poor seed emergence is one of the main impediments to obtaining higher yield of rice especially in hot and dry ecosystems of the world that are ravaged by drought. Therefore, this study was carried out to evaluate the effects of potassium nitrate (KNO3), salicylic acid (SA) and silicon dioxide (SiO2) priming in improving emergence, seedling growth, biochemical attributes and antioxidant activities of FARO44 rice under drought conditions. Rice seedlings primed with 2.5% and 5% KNO3, 3% and 3.5% SiO2, and 1 mM and 2.5 mM SA were subjected to three drought levels of low, moderate and severe under the greenhouse. Seed emergence, seedling growth, biochemical attributes and antioxidant activities were thereafter evaluated. Seed priming experiments were laid in a completely randomized design with five replicates per treatment. The results found that rice seedlings responded differently to different priming treatments. However, all primed rice seedlings had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) improved emergence percentage (72-92%), seedling growth, seedling vigor, seedling fresh and dry biomass and shorter emergence time compared with controls. Likewise, total soluble protein content, activities of catalase, ascorbate peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, carbohydrate, soluble sugar and total chlorophyll contents of rice seedlings were increased by more than two-folds by seed priming compared with control. Salicylic acid showed less effect in increasing emergence, seedling growth, antioxidant activities and biochemical attributes of rice. Thus, this study established that seed priming with KNO3 (2.5% and 5%) and SiO2 (3% and 3.5%) were more effective in improving emergence, seedling growth, biochemical attributes and antioxidant activities of FARO44. Thus, priming of FARO44 rice with this chemical is recommended for fast emergence, seedling growth and drought resistance in dry ecosystems.
Advancement in materials synthesis largely depends up on their diverse applications and commercialisation. Antifungal effects of phytogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were evident, but the reports on the effects of the same on agricultural crops are scant. Herein, we report for the first time, size dependent effects of phytogenic AgNPs (synthesised using Stevia rebaudiana leaf extract) on the germination, growth and biochemical parameters of three important agricultural crops viz., rice (Oryza sativa L), maize (Zea mays L) and peanut (Arachis hypogaea L). AgNPs with varied sizes were prepared by changing the concentration and quantity of the Stevia rebaudiana leaf extract. As prepared AgNPs were characterized using the techniques, such as high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, particle size and zeta potential analyser. The measured (dynamic light scattering technique) average sizes of particles are ranging from 68.5 to 116 nm. Fourier transform infrared studies confirmed the participation of alcohols, aldehydes and amides in the reduction and stabilisation of the AgNPs. Application of these AgNPs to three agricultural crop seeds (rice, maize and peanut) resulted in size dependent effects on their germination, growth and biochemical parameters such as, chlorophyll content, carotenoid and protein content. Further, antifungal activity of AgNPs also evaluated against fungi, Aspergillus niger.
Brown rice is unpolished rice with immeasurable benefits for human health. Brown rice (BR) and pre-germinated brown rice (PGBR) are known to contain various functional compounds such as gamma-oryzanol, dietary fibre and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In the present study, the experimental diets containing BR and PGBR (24, 48 h pre-germination) were used to investigate the influence of pre-germination time of brown rice on blood cholesterol in Sprague-Dawley male rats.
Dysregulated metabolism is implicated in obesity and other disease conditions like type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases, which are linked to abnormalities of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). PPARγ has been the focus of much research aimed at managing these diseases. Also, germinated brown rice (GBR) is known to possess antidiabetic, antiobesity and hypocholesterolemic effects. We hypothesized that GBR bioactive compounds may mediate some of the improvements in metabolic indices through PPARγ modulation. Cultured HEP-G2 cells were treated with 50 ppm and 100 ppm of extracts from GBR (GABA, ASG and oryzanol) after determination of cell viabilities using MTT assays. Results showed that all extracts upregulated the expression of the PPARγ. However, combination of all three extracts showed downregulation of the gene, suggesting that, in combination, the effects of these bioactives differ from their individual effects likely mediated through competitive inhibition of the gene. Upregulation of the gene may have therapeutic potential in diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases, while its downregulation likely contributes to GBR's antiobesity effects. These potentials are worth studying further.
This study focuses on the biodegradation of recalcitrant, coloured compounds resulting from auto-oxidation of Acid Orange 7 (AO7) in a sequential facultative anaerobic-aerobic treatment system. A novel mixed bacterial culture, BAC-ZS, consisting of Brevibacillus panacihumi strain ZB1, Lysinibacillus fusiformis strain ZB2, and Enterococcus faecalis strain ZL bacteria were isolated from environmental samples. The acclimatisation of the mixed culture was carried out in an AO7 decolourised solution. The acclimatised mixed culture showed 98 % decolourisation within 2 h of facultative anaerobic treatment using yeast extract and glucose as co-substrate. Subsequent aerobic post treatment caused auto-oxidation reaction forming dark coloured compounds that reduced the percentage decolourisation to 73 %. Interestingly, further agitations of the mixed culture in the solution over a period of 48 h significantly decolourise the coloured compounds and increased the decolourisation percentage to 90 %. Analyses of the degradation compounds using UV-visible spectrophotometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed complete degradation of recalcitrant AO7 by the novel BAC-ZS. Phytotoxicity tests using Cucumis sativus confirmed the dye solution after post aerobic treatment were less toxic compared to the parent dye. The quantitative real-time PCR revealed that E. faecalis strain ZL was the dominant strain in the acclimatised mix culture.
Mung bean has been traditionally used to alleviate heat stress. This effect may be contributed by the presence of flavonoids and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). On the other hand, fermentation and germination have been practised to enhance the nutritional and antioxidant properties of certain food products. The main focus of current study was to compare the antistress effect of none-process, fermented and germinated mung bean extracts. Acute and chronic restraint stresses were observed to promote the elevation of serum biochemical markers including cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, liver enzymes, and glucose. Chronic cold restraint stress was observed to increase the adrenal gland weight, brain 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) level while reducing brain antioxidant enzyme level. However, these parameters were found reverted in mice treated with diazepam, high concentration of fermented mung bean and high concentration of germinated mung bean. Moreover, enhanced level of antioxidant on the chronic stress mice was observed in fermented and germinated mung bean treated groups. In comparison between germinated and fermented mung bean, fermented mung bean always showed better antistress and antioxidant effects throughout this study.
Water is one of the most important precious resources found on the earth, and are most often affected by anthropogenic activities and by industry. Pollution caused by human beings and industries is a serious concern throughout the world. Population growth, massive urbanization, rapid rate of industrialization and modern techniques in agriculture have accelerated water pollution and led to the gradual deterioration of its quality. A large quantity of waste water disposed of at sea or on land has caused environmental problems which have led to environmental pollution, economic losses and chemical risks caused by the wastewater, and its impact on agriculture. However, waste water which contain nutrients and organic matter has possible advantages for agricultural purposes. Therefore, the presented study was undertaken to assess the impact of Dairy Effluent (treated and untreated waste water) on seed germination, seedling growth, dry matter production and the biochemical parameters of lady's fingers (Abelmoschus esculentus L.).
Germinated brown rice (GBR) is rich in bioactive compounds, which confer GBR with many functional properties. Evidence of its hypocholesterolemic effects is emerging, but the exact mechanisms of action and bioactive compounds involved have not been fully documented. Using type 2 diabetic rats, we studied the effects of white rice, GBR, and brown rice (BR) on lipid profile and on the regulation of selected genes involved in cholesterol metabolism. Our results showed that the upregulation of apolipoprotein A1 and low-density lipoprotein receptor genes was involved in the hypocholesterolemic effects of GBR. Additionally, in vitro studies using HEPG2 cells showed that acylated steryl glycoside, gamma amino butyric acid, and oryzanol and phenolic extracts of GBR contribute to the nutrigenomic regulation of these genes. Transcriptional and nontranscriptional mechanisms are likely involved in the overall hypocholesterolemic effects of GBR suggesting that it may have an impact on the prevention and/or management of hypercholesterolemia due to a wide variety of metabolic perturbations. However, there is need to conduct long-term clinical trials to determine the clinical relevance of the hypocholesterolemic effects of GBR determined through animal studies.
The influence of both acidic and basic hydrolysis on the yield, total phenolic content and antioxidative capacity of methanolic extract of germinated brown rice (GBR) was studied. Total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical cation scavenging, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) tests were used for the measurement of antioxidant ability. There was a significant difference p < 0.05) in the TPC and DPPH radical scavenging assay results when comparing neutral with acidic and basic catalysed hydrolysis. The yield of the crude extract was slightly higher in acidic hydrolysis than in basic hydrolysis p > 0.05). The TPC and TFC were highest in acidic hydrolysis. A significant correlation was observed between ABTS radical cation scavenging and FRAP. The antioxidant activity measured using DPPH radical scavenging assay showed high activity in acidic hydrolysis, while the ABTS radical cationscavenging activity and FRAP showed the highest values in basic hydrolysis. The samples were further evaluated using HPLC to determine the individual phenolic concentrations in different hydrolytic media contributing to the antioxidant effects. This study revealed that acidic and basic hydrolysis can improve the yield, phenolic content, and antioxidant activity of germinated brown rice.
It is imperative that there be a diet designed specifically to improve lipid profile in order to impede the progress of atherosclerosis. Because rice is a staple food in Asia, it will be chosen as the diet of interest. This study sets out to discover whether consumption of different processed rice diets may result in a change of the lipid profile. The experiment was done on male New Zealand white rabbits after 10 weeks of treatment with diet containing 0.5% cholesterol. The experimental diets include white rice (WR), brown rice (BR), and germinated brown rice (GBR). Among them, rabbits fed a GBR diet demonstrated significantly lower levels of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), LDL/HDL, and atherogenic index (AI) and a higher level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Results from atherosclerotic plaque assessment further support the findings. The level of malondialdehyde (MDA), which acts as an indicator for oxidative stress, was also reduced by GBR diet. The positive change in lipid profile in the rabbits fed GBR appeared to correspond with the higher amounts of γ-oryzanol, tocopherol, and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content.
Amino acid profiles, protein digestibility, corrected amino acid scores (PDCAAS), chemical scores, essential amino acid indexes, and calculated biological values of controlcowpea flour (CCF), germinated cowpea flour (GCF) prepared from cowpeas germinated at 25 degrees C for either 24 h or 48 h and weaning foods prepared from cowpea flours were determined. Locally available rice, cowpea flour, banana-pumpkin slurry, and skim milk powder and sucrose in the ratio 35:35:15:15:5 were used to formulate weaning food containing not less than 15% protein. The ingredients were cooked into a slurry and oven-dried to produce flakes. The nutritional and sensory qualities of the weaning products were evaluated. Germination had little effect on the amino acid profile of cowpeas. In vitro protein quality and starch digestibility were improved in germinated cowpea flour. The PDCAAS of 24 h germinated cowpea flour (GCF) weaning food was higher (55.49%) than CCF-weaning food (46.74%). Vitamin A activity in 24 h GCF weaning food was higher than in CCF-weaning food. In vitro starch digestibilities of 24 h GCF and 48 h GCF-weaning foods were higher than that of CCF weaning food. The 24 h GCF-weaning food which had a higher overall acceptability score by sensory panelist than 48 h GCF and CCF-weaning food is recommended for household consumption.
5'-Phosphodiesterase (5'-PDE) is an enzyme that hydrolyses RNA to form 5'-inosine monophosphate (5'-IMP) and 5'-guanosine monophosphate (5'-GMP), which function as flavour enhancers. Selection of the best producer of 5'-PDE was made by determining the activity of the enzyme in six seeds that have been germinated, namely mung bean (Vigna radiate), soybean (Glycine max), adzuki/red bean (Vigna angularis L.), chick pea (Cicer arietinum), black eye pea (Vigna unguiculata) and petai (Parkia speciosa). Seeds that were not germinated acted as the control. In order to ensure there is no contamination from potential 5'-PDE-producing microorganisms during germination, microbial growth was reduced by using different surface sterilizing treatments where the seeds were soaked in 100 mL solution containing different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite (with or without 0.05% sodium azide) for 5 minutes before rinsing it five times with sterilized distilled water (total 500 mL). The seeds were observed every day for 3 days and the best surface sterilizing treatment was selected based on absence of mold growth and the effects on hypocotyl length. Sodium hypochlorite at 0.3% (v/v) concentration was able to inhibit mold growth in adzuki bean, soybean and chickpea. On the other hand, only 0.1% (v/v) sodium hypochlorite was needed to inhibit mold growth in black eye pea and petai, while mung bean required 0.05% (v/v) sodium hypochlorite to inhibit mold growth. Under these conditions, the growth of hypocotyl (hypocotyls length) was only slightly affected compared to the control. 5'-PDE was extracted from seeds that have been germinated for 24 hours and their control (ungerminated seeds) by homogenization in a blender with 400 mL of 50 mM acetate buffer, pH 4.5. After that, the homogenates were stirred for 30 min and the centrifuged at 9000 rpm for 15 min at 10°C. 5'-PDE activity was determined using thymidine 5'-monophosphate p-nitrophenyl ester as substrate at pH 7.0 and 55°C. The formation of nucleotide monophosphates, the products of reaction, was determined at 405 nm. As a strong presence of phosphomonoesterase (PME) will reduce the yield of nucleotide monophosphates as the enzyme hydrolyzes these products into nucleosides and orthophosphate, PME activity was also determined using p-nitrophenyl phosphate as the substrate at 60°C and pH 5.0. Thus, the seed with the highest 5'-PDE activity and a low PME activity can be selected. Germinated adzuki bean was found to have the highest 5'-PDE activity (0.59 µmol p-nitrophenol/min/mg protein) among the germinated seeds. A time-course study indicated that the level of 5'-PDE in adzuki bean increased with time of germination until 15 hours (0.69 µmol p-nitrophenol/min/mg protein), after which the acitivity decreased until it reached the basal level (0.44 µmol p-nitrophenol/min/mg protein) at 72 hours. On the other hand, PME in the bean was the highest at 9 h germination (0.98 µmol p-nitrophenol/min/mg protein). In general, controls have very low basal level of 5'-PDE activity (0.18- 0.42 µmol p-nitrophenol/min/mg protein).
In this study, the antimicrobial, antioxidant, phytotoxic and phytochemical properties of defatted seeds of Jatropha curcas were evaluated. A crude methanolic extract of defatted seeds was tested against three fungal strains - Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus fumigatus - and five bacteria: Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae (Gram negative) and Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive). The methanolic extract was diluted in dimethylsulfoxide to final concentrations of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 mg/10 mL. The largest zones of inhibition against K. pneumoniae, M. luteus and B. subtilis were achieved using the concentration of 5 mg/10 mL. The concentration of 1 mg/10 mL was most effective against S. aureus and E. coli. In a 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylahydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, the 5 mg/10 mL concentration of the Jatropha seed extract showed the strongest activity. Higher concentrations of the Jatropha seed extract (10 mg/50 mL and 5 mg/50 mL) significantly inhibited the germination of radish seeds and had negative effects on radish seedling relative water content, shoot length, root length, seedling fresh weight and seedling dry weight (p<0.05). Phytochemical analyses of the defatted seeds detected alkaloids (7.3%), flavonoids (0.39%) and soluble phenolics (mg gallic acid equivalents/g extract). Based on these results, it was inferred that J. curcas seeds contain active ingredients that are effective against pathogenic microbes and therefore could be used to formulate drugs to treat various diseases.
In an attempt to profile the metabolites of three different varieties of germinated rice, specifically black (GBR), red, and white rice, a 1H-nuclear-magnetic-resonance-based metabolomics approach was conducted. Multivariate data analysis was applied to discriminate between the three different varieties using a partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model. The PLS model was used to evaluate the relationship between chemicals and biological activities of germinated rice. The PLS-DA score plot exhibited a noticeable separation between the three rice varieties into three clusters by PC1 and PC2. The PLS model indicated that α-linolenic acid, γ-oryzanol, α-tocopherol, γ-aminobutyric acid, 3-hydroxybutyric acid, fumaric acid, fatty acids, threonine, tryptophan, and vanillic acid were significantly correlated with the higher bioactivities demonstrated by GBR that was extracted in 100% ethanol. Subsequently, the proposed biosynthetic pathway analysis revealed that the increased quantities of secondary metabolites found in GBR may contribute to its nutritional value and health benefits.
Three basal plant tissue culture media, namely, N6, MS, and modified Y3, were compared to optimize micropropagation protocol for E. guineensis. Full strength media were used separately to regenerate plantlets directly using immature zygotic embryos (IZEs), and through somatic embryogenesis of calli obtained from IZEs. The plantlets regenerated by direct regeneration on three media were examined for shoot length and rooting percentage. For the induction of callus, somatic embryogenesis, and rooting modified Y3 medium was the most effective. In conclusion, the results indicate that modified Y3 medium is the most suitable for direct regeneration, callus induction and somatic embryogenesis in E. guineensis.
Weed infestation is a persistent problem for centuries and continues to be major yield reducing issue in modern agriculture. Chemical weed control through herbicides results in numerous ecological, environmental, and health-related issues. Moreover, numerous herbicides have evolved resistance against available herbicides. Plant extracts are regarded as an alternative to herbicides and a good weed management option. The use of plant extracts is environmentally safe and could solve the problem of herbicide resistance. Therefore, laboratory and wire house experiments were conducted to evaluate the phytotoxic potential of three Fabaceae species, i.e., Cassia occidentalis L. (Coffee senna), Sesbania sesban (L.) Merr. (Common sesban) and Melilotus alba Medik. (White sweetclover) against seed germination and seedling growth of some broadleaved weed species. Firstly, N-hexane and aqueous extracts of these species were assessed for their phytotoxic effect against lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). The extracts found more potent were further tested against germination and seedling growth of four broadleaved weed species, i.e., Parthenium hysterophorus L. (Santa-Maria), Trianthema portulacastrum L. (Pigweed), Melilotus indica L (Indian sweetclover). and Rumex dentatus L. (Toothed dock) in Petri dish and pot experiments. Aqueous extracts of all species were more toxic than their N-hexane forms for seed germination and seedling growth of lettuce; therefore, aqueous extracts were assessed for their phytotoxic potential against four broadleaved weed species. Aqueous extracts of all species proved phytotoxic against T. portulacastrum, P. hysterophorus, M. indica and R. dentatus and retarder their germination by 57, 90, 100 and 58%, respectively. Nevertheless, foliar spray of C. occidentalis extract was the most effective against T. portulacastrum as it reduced its dry biomass by 72%, while M. alba was effective against P. hysterophorus, R. dentatus and M. indica and reduced their dry biomass by 55, 68 and 81%, respectively. It is concluded that aqueous extracts of M. alba, S. sesban and C. occidentalis could be used to retard seed germination of T. portulacastrum, P. hysterophorus, M. indica and R. dentatus. Similarly, aqueous extracts of C. occidentalis can be used to suppress dry biomass of T. portulacastrum, and those of M. alba against P. hysterophorus, R. dentatus. However, use of these extracts needs their thorough testing under field conditions.