Progress of allelopathy in grassland ecosystem of China

The existing research achievements of allelopathy on the main types of grassland in China were reviewed in this paper. Plants with allelopathic potential have been investigated in dozens general, such as Compositae, Leguminosae, Thymelaeaceae and Scrophulariaceae. More than ten compounds have been identified which included terpenoids, phenols, saponins and non-protein amino acids. Most researches focused on allelopathy of plant aboveground part and allelochemicals pathway of natural evaporation and fog leaching. The popular biological assay of allelopathy was to test plant response to different concentration of allelochemicals including seed germination and seedling growth. It revealed that some species with demonstrated allelopathic potential played important role in the management of the grassland and the maintenance of ecological balance. Based on current research, we put forward suggestions for further plant allelopathy study at the same time.