Influence of leaf extract of Jatropha curcas on initial growth of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis)

This paper aimed at evaluating the initial growth of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. Botrytis) subjected to various levels of aqueous extract of leaves of Jatropha (Jatropha curcas) according to the following parameters: stem diameter, stem length, root length, leaf length and leaf area, root dry mass, leaf dry mass, root fresh mass, and leaves fresh mass. The experimental design was randomly blocks with six concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80%) and six replications. The study was conducted at the experimental campus of the State University of West Parana, UNIOESTE, campus Cascavel. The statistical analysis of the results showed a significant effect of concentrations of aqueous extract of J. curcas on the initial growth of cauliflower. Except for root growth, there was a positive effect dependent on the increased concentration of crude aqueous extract.   Key words: Cauliflower, jatropha, allelopathy.