Abutilon theophrasti’s Resilience against Allelochemical-Based Weed Management in Sustainable Agriculture – Due to Collection of Highly Advantageous Microorganisms?

Abstract

Abutilon theophrasti Medik. (velvetleaf) is a problematic annual weed in field crops which has invaded many temperate parts of the world. Since the loss of crop yields can be extensive, approaches to manage the weed include not only conventional methods, but also biological methods, for instance by microorganisms releasing phytotoxins and plant-derived allelochemicals. Additionally, benzoxazinoid-rich rye mulches effective in managing common weeds like Amaranthus retroflexus L. have been tested for this purpose. However, recent methods for biological control are still unreliable in terms of intensity and duration. Rye mulches were also ineffective in managing velvetleaf. In this review, we present the attempts to reduce velvetleaf infestation by biological methods and discuss possible reasons for the failure. The resilience of velvetleaf may be due to the extraordinary capacity of the plant to collect, for its own survival, the most suitable microorganisms from a given farming site, genetic and epigenetic adaptations, and a high stress memory. Such properties may have developed together with other advantageous abilities during selection by humans when the plant was used as a crop. Rewilding could be responsible for improving the microbiomes of A. theophrasti.

Detailed analysis of agro-industrial byproducts/wastes to enable efficient sorting for various agro-industrial applications

“…Abutilon theophrasti is a common problematic weed in agricultural fields which spreads via abundant seeds that can persist in the soil for many years. It is showing resilient against allelochemicals and causing large economic losses (Tabaglio et al 2023 ). Preliminary germination experiments showed that A. theophrasti has two types of seeds that can be distinguished following imbibition, about 50% of the seeds imbibed water, swelled, and attained brown color and 50% are water-impermeable and remain black (Fig.…”

The Combination of <i>Achnatherum inebrians</i> Extracts and Soil Microorganisms Inhibited Seed Germination and Seedling Growth in <i>Elymus nutans</i>

“…Many studies have shown that soil microorganisms alter the activity of allelochemicals in plants, and they can also alter the competitiveness of invasive plants in populations and communities [17][18][19][20]. Existing studies have focused on the degradation of toxic compounds into toxic allelochemicals by free-living microbial communities in the soil [19][20][21], the enhancement of plant tolerance to allelochemicals [22,23], and the expansion of the impact of allelochemicals by soil microorganisms through transfer networks in the soil [24].…”