Bioactive constituents and allelopathic activities of the invasive weed Ranunculus sceleratus L. Nile Delta, Egypt

Abstract

Ranunculus sceleratus L. (celery-leaved buttercup) is a herbaceous plant grows in wet and moist habitats and is native to temperate and boreal North America and Eurasia. Moreover, it is listed as an invasive weed in northern Africa, Europe and Asia. This study aimed to determine some secondary products in R. sceleratus (Shoot and Root system) collected from canal banks of drains, Nile Delta, Egypt and to demonstrate their antioxidant and allelopathic potential. Results revealed that, methanolic extract of R. sceleratus rich in phenols, saponins and tannins. The antioxidant activity of the R. sceleratus has IC₅₀ value of 0.37 mg/ml and 0.34 mg/ml for shoot and root, respectively, compared to 0.15 mg/ml for catechol. At 400 mg/ml, Chenopodium murale germination was inhibited by 79.74% and 92.64 for shoot and root extract, respectively, compared to control. However, the shoot growth was reduced by 76.06 % and 87.96 %, with the same sequence. The root growth was more sensitive to the allelopathic effect compared to the shoot, where it was inhibited by 82.68% and 98.67%, respectively, compared to control at the highest concentration. The obtained results on this invisive weed R. sceleratus could be a source of eco-friendly bioherbicides against C. murale and as a source of antioxidants.