Allelopathy

Allelopathy (Gr: allelon (of each other) and pathos (to suffer)) is broadly defined as any chemical-mediated interaction among plants, though it is typically thought of as a mechanism of inhibition. [1] The term allelopathy was coined in 1937 by Hans Molisch to refer to any biological interactions between all types of plants, but was refined by Rice in 1974 as “any direct or indirect harmful effect by one plant (including microorganisms) on another through production of chemical compounds that escape into the environment.” [2]