crops with weeds for inputs. Furthermore, the releases of allelochemicals from cover
crops especially leachate from rain will help to decay the weed seed bank in
conservation tillage system or no-tillage circumstances. The weed control potential
of cover crops also relied on specific weed species, e.g., sorghum as a cover crop
controls effectively on broad-leaved weeds, but narrow-leaved weeds were not
controlled (Einhellig and Leather 1988). The organic farming system is heavily
dependent on allelopathic cover crops for weed control (Mirsky et al. 2013).
It was described that cover crop combinations of Sinapis alba L., (Raphanus
sativus var. niger J. Kern) and Vicia sativa inhibited weeds. These authors suggested
that biochemical synthesis is liable for weed suppression of cover crops. Allelopathy
is a vital substitute for overcoming herbicide-related complications in weed management for sustainable agriculture (Narwal 2000).
4.3 Plant Breeding and Biotechnology for Bioherbicide
Development
Allelopathy has been debated past due to the plethora of less than strong research
about this focus and the often tentative claims about the role of allelochemicals in
plant-plant interactions (Duke 2010). For decades, efforts have been made to
improve the allelopathic properties of crops by conventional breeding and varietal
selection programs (Batish et al. 2011; Bertholdsson et al. 2012; Worthington and
Reberg-Horton 2013). Reports on genetic diversity in weed control among the
cultivars of Cucumis sativus L. (Putnam and Duke 1974) and Oryza sativa L. (Dilday
et al. 1991) appointed breeding as a possible strategy to improve the ability to protect
against weeds and thus enable using crop allelopathy for weed management with
improved allelopathic traits. In this focus, huge screenings were commenced to
detect highly efficient allelopathic donors that could be utilized in breeding programs. The study of the genetic process involved in the allelopathy of crop plants is a
new challenge for weed control through biological measure, but very limited work
has been done till present.
4.3.1 Germplasm Screening for Allelopathic Cultivars
Improvement in crop cultivars is the merely unexplored field of research to any great
extent as a weed management strategy (Khush 1996). The prospect of integrating the
allelopathic characters into improved crop cultivars, which would decline the necessity for herbicidal application to the crop, is a worthy investigation (Khush 1996).
No commercial cultivars acquiring allelopathic traits have been evolved (Duke et al.
2001). Morphological characteristics, such as early seedling emergence, seedling
vigor, fast growth rates that produce a dense canopy, greater plant height, greater
root volume, and longer growth duration, are known to increase the ability of
5 Allelochemicals as Natural Herbicides for Sustainable Agriculture to Promote. . .
107
crops especially leachate from rain will help to decay the weed seed bank in
conservation tillage system or no-tillage circumstances. The weed control potential
of cover crops also relied on specific weed species, e.g., sorghum as a cover crop
controls effectively on broad-leaved weeds, but narrow-leaved weeds were not
controlled (Einhellig and Leather 1988). The organic farming system is heavily
dependent on allelopathic cover crops for weed control (Mirsky et al. 2013).
It was described that cover crop combinations of Sinapis alba L., (Raphanus
sativus var. niger J. Kern) and Vicia sativa inhibited weeds. These authors suggested
that biochemical synthesis is liable for weed suppression of cover crops. Allelopathy
is a vital substitute for overcoming herbicide-related complications in weed management for sustainable agriculture (Narwal 2000).
4.3 Plant Breeding and Biotechnology for Bioherbicide
Development
Allelopathy has been debated past due to the plethora of less than strong research
about this focus and the often tentative claims about the role of allelochemicals in
plant-plant interactions (Duke 2010). For decades, efforts have been made to
improve the allelopathic properties of crops by conventional breeding and varietal
selection programs (Batish et al. 2011; Bertholdsson et al. 2012; Worthington and
Reberg-Horton 2013). Reports on genetic diversity in weed control among the
cultivars of Cucumis sativus L. (Putnam and Duke 1974) and Oryza sativa L. (Dilday
et al. 1991) appointed breeding as a possible strategy to improve the ability to protect
against weeds and thus enable using crop allelopathy for weed management with
improved allelopathic traits. In this focus, huge screenings were commenced to
detect highly efficient allelopathic donors that could be utilized in breeding programs. The study of the genetic process involved in the allelopathy of crop plants is a
new challenge for weed control through biological measure, but very limited work
has been done till present.
4.3.1 Germplasm Screening for Allelopathic Cultivars
Improvement in crop cultivars is the merely unexplored field of research to any great
extent as a weed management strategy (Khush 1996). The prospect of integrating the
allelopathic characters into improved crop cultivars, which would decline the necessity for herbicidal application to the crop, is a worthy investigation (Khush 1996).
No commercial cultivars acquiring allelopathic traits have been evolved (Duke et al.
2001). Morphological characteristics, such as early seedling emergence, seedling
vigor, fast growth rates that produce a dense canopy, greater plant height, greater
root volume, and longer growth duration, are known to increase the ability of
5 Allelochemicals as Natural Herbicides for Sustainable Agriculture to Promote. . .
107