The potential for the use of mycoherbicide to manage some noxious weeds in india

Due to the recent trends in environmental awareness concerning the side effects of herbicides, public demands for development of safer, more environmental friendly approaches for weed control. The development of weeds resistant by the application of herbicides demands new alternate to cope with the problem since economic losses generated by weeds can be higher than those caused by other pests. The herbicide industry is continuously searching for identification and characterization of most effective, economical and environmentally safer synthetic herbicides by screening large number of synthetic organic molecules, synthesizing analogs of patent herbicides ,designing new herbicide molecules based on target site approach and screening of natural products for herbicidal activity. Eco-friendly trends in weed management force scientists to reach for innovative sources and tools. Fungi are well recognized for their ability to produce diverse biologically active metabolites including herbicides. Therefore screening for fungal products with herbicidal activity has been one of the most interested areas in weed management research. The herbicidal properties of fungi can be exploited successfully as a tool for the management of weeds. Large number of secondary metabolites produced by fungi provides eco-friendly, diverse and challenging chemical structures. The biological control of weeds by mycoherbicide (fungal weed pathogens and/their metabolites) have received considerable consideration. Mycoherbicides offer an innovative approach to the management of weeds using formulated fungal phytopathogen or their natural metabolite extracts would serve as an important component in integrated management strategy. In this review paper, we present the work for management of some noxious weeds of India viz. Parthenium hysterophorus L., Lantana camara L., Xanthium strumarium L., Cassia tora L., Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit. Sida actua Burm. f and Antigonon leptopus Hook. & Arn. with isolated indigenous fungal pathogens and by their metabolites.