Bioherbicides: an overview

Publication date: 26/12/2017
Extent: 34 pages

Contributions by: Erin N. Rosskopf, USDA-ARS, United States Horticultural Laboratory, USA; Raghavan Charudattan, BioProdex Inc., USA; and William Bruckart, USDA-ARS, Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research Unit, USA

Chapter synopsis: Weed control is one of the greatest concerns in agriculture and land management. Chemical control methods are widespread, but there are many invasive species for which these are not economically feasible. In addition, there are social, economic and political drivers that work towards reducing the overall use of pesticides. This chapter considers the use of bioherbicides as an alternative method for weed control. We review the use of products based on natural compounds derived from plants or microbes, the classical approach to microbial bioherbicide application, and the use of an inundative approach which applies an endemic pathogen in much greater quantity than would be found naturally. Finally, we discuss how bioherbicides can be integrated into weed management programmes and the institutional changes needed for biological control adoption.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2017.0025.20