Allelopathic approaches for weed management

Abstract

Weed management sustainably become mandatory due to the yield losses caused by weeds, especially in low-input agricultural systems and environmental pollution caused by the excessive use of synthetic herbicides. To deal with these issues, allelopathy is gaining popularity which is a biochemical phenomenon having the chemical interactions between plants by the release of secondary metabolites into the environment. Many important crops are recognized for the potential of allelopathy, farmers are still not aware to use such knowledge practical use. Therefore, it is important to assist advisors and farmers in assessing whether allelopathy can be effectively implemented to manage the weed eco-friendly. Here, we aim to give a broad and efficient review on the herbicidal potential of allelopathy. Allelochemicals have the potential to be used as a herbicide. Allelopathy may help in weed management through the inhibition of weed seed germination and seedling growth. Weed-suppressing ability in several crops is either due to the exudation of allelochemical compounds released from living plant parts or from decomposing residue. As these are free from all the problems associated with present herbicides, they could be used directly as herbicides, and their chemistry can also be used to develop new herbicides. A lot of secondary compounds are produced by plants and microorganisms, and many of these are phytotoxic to weeds, thus having the potential to be used as herbicides. This review shows how important the role of allelopathy for sustainable weed management is and, at the same time, indicates the need for field experiments, mainly under an integrated approach.