ABSTRACT

The term allelopathy is derived from the Greek (allelos, of each other; pathos, to suffer) to indicate the injurious effect of one on another. Molisch (1) coined the term in 1937 and his definition referred to both the detrimental and beneficial biochemical interactions among all classes of plants, including microorganisms. In 1996 the International Allelopathy Society defined allelopathy as follows: ‘‘Any process involving secondary metabolites produced by plants, microorganisms, viruses, and fungi that influence the growth and development of agricultural and biological systems (excluding animals), including positive and negative effects’’ (2).