Potatoes are an annual and the most cultivated tuberous crop worldwide. Potatoes play an important role to fulfil the world’s basic food requirements because of enriched nutrients and delicious taste. Rhizoctonia solani is the most virulent and widely distributed soil-borne fungus that causes severe yield losses of potatoes globally. Several management practices have been adopted to overcome the yield losses inflicted by this fungus. Biocontrol agents play a significant role as mycoparasites and activate defense mechanisms through disease resistance genes to suppress pathogens. Compost is also applied as a soil amendment that increases soil fertility through the addition of organic matter in soil and nutrients uptake in organic form. Besides, it is a rich source of carbon and nitrogen which can address soil erosion, nutrients and organic matter depletion issues and restores soil fertility by adding organic matter and reducing the incidence of soil-borne pathogens in the soil.  Biochar utilization in the agriculture sector is increasing day by day because of its great potential for disease suppression. Both biochar and compost are used commercially to improve plant growth and suppress potato diseases caused by R. solani. Therefore, in this review, we discussed the symptoms on potatoes, epidemiology and biological characteristics of R. solani and summarized to date control strategies mainly focusing on biological, chemical, biochar and compost approaches.

Weeds belong to diverse groups of exotic and native grass species and are considered problematic for significant crops such as Cyperus rotundus or Dhela; Avena fatua or Jungli Jai are considered one of the most dangerous weeds of wheat around the world. The agricultural product loss recorded in Pakistan due to weeds are estimated a 17-25% yield loss in wheat due to weeds, 20-45% loss in maize, 13-41% loss in cotton, 20-63% loss in rice, 10-35% highest loss in sugarcane, and 25-55% in pulses. Many weeds inhibit the growth of other plants with their allelopathic effects through the release of specific inhibiting substances in the topsoil. Several weeds provide them as alternate host plants for various types of insects, pathogenic fungi, bacteria, and viruses that may attack the crop. To meet food demand in the increasing population in upcoming years is a big challenge in Pakistan. The first use of biological control of weeds was reported in 1971, the biological product used to control weeds was called bio-herbicide. It is eco-friendly, safe for non-targeted organisms, practically easy to use, and not involved in health-related risks of humans and animals. This review tried to explain the role of bio-herbicides in the control of weeds.