Woolly cupgrass (Eriochloa villosa (Thunb.) Kunth) is a new invasive weed in Hungary. This study was conducted to elucidate the effects of this weed on the biochemistry and growth of maize (Zea mays L. cv. Armagnac) under greenhouse conditions. Activities of the antioxidative enzymes (ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD)), the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), and protein were measured in the shoots and roots, whereas the content of the photosynthetic pigments was measured only in the shoots. The measured growth parameters included plant height, root length, root volume, root and shoot dry weight, and stem diameter. Results showed the allelopathic effects of woolly cupgrass on maize, with significant decreases in plant height, root length, root volume, and root dry weight. Woolly cupgrass infestation (WCI) induced significantly higher activities of APX and SOD in the shoots, whereas POD was only induced in the roots. The contents of chlorophyll-a, total chlorophyll (including relative chlorophyll), carotenoids, and root protein were substantially reduced by WCI, except for the leaf chlorophyll-b. The results suggest that high APX and SOD activities in the shoots could be involved in stabilizing the leaf chlorophyll-b, chlorophyll a/b, shoot protein, and shoot dry weight because all of these parameters were not inhibited when these two enzymes were induced. In contrast, high activity of POD in the roots is not effective in counteracting allelopathy. Therefore, it would be worthwhile to further investigate if an increase in the activities of APX and SOD in the shoots of WCI maize is responsible for stabilizing leaf chlorophyll-b, shoot protein, and shoot dry weight, which could contribute to improved maize yield under WCI.
Keywords: allelopathy; antioxidant enzymes; morphological parameters; protein; woolly cupgrass.