Biotechnology Applications in Weed Management: Now and in the Future
1987; Elsevier BV; Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/s0065-2113(08)60808-1
ISSN2213-6789
Autores Tópico(s)Weed Control and Herbicide Applications
ResumoThis chapter examines the applications of biotechnology in the field of weed management. The concept of deliberately using organisms to control a pest constitutes the fundamental basis of all biological pest control systems. The bioherbicide approach employs the massive, usually annual, release of a biocontrol agent into specific weed-infested fields to infect and kill susceptible weeds. The concept of using fungi, bacteria, and even viruses as bioherbicides is biologically feasible with several host-pathogen combinations. The potential commercialization of a microbial phytopathogenic agent is dependent greatly on whether this microbe possesses properties that allow it to be handled like a chemical herbicide or not. Utilization of innovative approaches for large-scale production and stabilization under field conditions has resulted in the commercialization and registration of two fungi as mycoherbicides. Pathogen strain improvement may be also achieved by mutagenesis induced either by irradiation or by chemical treatment. This approach seems particularly promising for the selection of strains of bioherbicides that are tolerant to chemical pesticides. Increased activity of a target enzyme is a mechanism that may confer resistance to selected herbicides. The genetic manipulation of crop tolerance to herbicides is also elaborated.
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