Published October 18, 2023 | Version v1
Conference proceeding Open

Sustainable weed management in wheat: exploring the allelopathic potential of different cultivars

Description

Allelopathy is the process by which plants release chemicals that modify the growth or development of other plants or organisms in their surroundings by releasing specialized metabolites (allelochemicals) through root exudation, leaching, volatilisation and decomposition of plant residues in the soiland. Wheat (Triticum aestivum) has been shown to exhibit allelopathic potential that can be harnessed for weed management, particularly in organic farming systems. Both wheat crop residues and root exudates contain allelochemicals that can suppress the growth and development of weeds, including those that are resistant to herbicides. Different wheat varieties have varying allelopathic potential, indicating that allelopathic variety selection could be a useful strategy for integrated weed management and improving crop productivity. Several categories of allelochemicals have been identified for wheat allelopathy, including phenolic acids, hydroxamic acids, flavonoids, and short‐chain fatty acids.

This study focuses on screening the allelopathic or competitive potential of four wheat cultivars, i.e., 'Maurizio', 'NS 40S' 'Adesso' and 'Element', prevviously selected on the frame of the European project ECOBREED, on two weeds of interest due to acquired herbicide resistance, the dicot Portulaca oleracea L. and the monocot Lolium rigidum Gaud., through germination and growth bioassays and the identification and quantification of benzoxazinoids (BXZs) and polyphenols (phenolic acids and flavonoids). The different cultivars showed different ability to manage surrounding weeds, and different capacity to exude or accumulate specialized metabolites in the presence of those weeds. Moreover, each cultivar behaved differently depending on the weed present in the medium. The most efficient cultivar to manage the tested monocot and dicot weeds was Maurizio, as effectively induced a reduction in germination and growth of L. rigidum and P. oleracea while exuding large amounts of BZXs through the roots, especially the hydroxamic acids DIMBOA and DIBOA. However, NS 40S, Adesso and Element just showed potential to control the development just one of both weeds' growth through allelopathy or competition.

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Additional details

Funding

ECOBREED – Increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of organic crop breeding 771367
European Commission

Dates

Issued
2023-07-09