Have you ever noted juglone on Pecan Tree Leaves? You might be aware that many plants don’t thrive—or even grow at all—near walnut trees. The first century AD saw the observation and documentation of this fact. What about pecan trees, though? Do they have an identical impact? Despite sharing the same family as walnuts, they don’t necessarily share the same chemical characteristics.
Consider the Solanaceae genus. The very toxic deadly nightshade and edible plants such as eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, or potatoes are all members of the same plant family. However, pecans can restrict the growth of other plants to the point where some species shouldn’t be planted beneath or close to pecan trees. Discover these things at homegardenartful.com!
Why Do Plants Perish by Pecan Tree Leaves?
They perish as a result of the poisoning! And being technical is justified.
A group of hazardous compounds that are closely related are produced by both pecans and walnuts. The parent substance is known as juglone, or to be more specific, 5-hydroxy-1,4-napthoquinone.
Pay attention to the quinone in the name. Quinone is an extremely reactive substance that becomes hazardous when oxygen is present.
In fact, it is so deadly that even little levels can result in death.
Juglone on Pecan Tree Leaves is harmful to microorganisms, plants, and animals and behaves similarly to cyanide.
Be at ease, though! The concentrations in the leaves, nuts, and roots are insufficient to kill humans.
How Come These Plants Produce Poison?
Allelopathy, or the poisoning of one plant by another, is the process of producing a toxin that prevents the growth of another plant.
It is believed that if pecans and walnuts create a chemical that kills other plants, they will have less competition from those other plants.
Defending against microbial infections, however, may be another cause. The effectiveness of juglone against the fungus that infects these trees has been the subject of extensive research.
Although it is obvious that the substance is poisonous to many of these fungus, its ability to prevent disease has not yet been conclusively demonstrated.
Why Are Pecan Trees Not Killed By This Toxin?
Pecan trees are equally harmful to juglone as any other type of plant. The plants that produce it can, however, alter it and retain a less harmful form in their cells.
Hydrojuglone is the name given to this modified juglone. It is juglone with an added -OH group.
The plants that contain it are safe, and it is no longer a dangerous oxidant.
Juglone and its less toxic variant may typically be distinguished from one another by comparing the colors of the nut after cutting the husk open.
Juglone is a deep reddish-brown substance, whereas hydroquinone is transparent.
The husk will initially be green, but as oxygen in the air converts the chemical back to the juglone parent, you can see it turning brown.
Hydrojuglone glucoside (HJG) is another name for hydroquinone that has a sugar molecule (glucose) attached to it.
This increases the chemical’s stability even further while also acting as a reservoir for juglone in case it is required.
How Does My Garden Affect This?
The research that has been done so far yields conflicting findings regarding the safety of cultivating plants below pecan trees because of Pecan Tree Leaves. According to some, juglone is produced by pecans at a far lower concentration than by black walnut, making it less dangerous.
It’s possible that some of this variation is brought on by how differently different pecan cultivars produce these compounds.
Some cultivars are more probable than others to destroy the plants in your immediate area.
For instance, the cultivar ‘Cape Fear’ has a low level of both juglone and hydroquinone, thus it shouldn’t have much of an impact on the plants growing underneath it.
For the cultivar ‘Pawnee,’ juglone was undetectable for up to seven sampling intervals, while ‘Desirable’ displayed the lowest HJG levels during all time periods examined.
Particular plants are more vulnerable to this toxin than others. The sensitivity of azaleas, apples, and tomatoes is well known.
At first, you might not understand what the issue is. Before dying, the plants may wilt, develop yellow leaves, and have reduced development. Once the plants have been poisoned, there is no treatment.
Conclusion
Many of us have a tendency to see nature as good. But there is a lot of rivalry in the natural world.
Since they are unable to flee, plants generally employ chemicals to protect themselves from bacteria, other plants, insects, deer, and other predators. And juglone on Pecan Tree Leaves is a typical example of that characteristic.
Nature produces some tremendously potent toxins, far from being a safe sanctuary.
As of now, there is no proof that plants are planning to harm humans. But when we plan our gardens, it’s undoubtedly useful to the gardener to know which species may create these compounds that prevent the growth of others.
Have you had success or failure while trying to plant near pecan trees? If so, kindly share your story in the comments section below.
