Phenolic allelochemicals: Achievements, limitations, and prospective approaches in weed management

Abstract

In recent decades, phenolic compounds derived from plants have been considered as potential weed inhibitors due to their environmentally friendly properties, which are profitable regarding sustainable development targets. While experiments indicated that phenolic compounds exhibited significant inhibition on weeds via various biological pathways, none of these natural compounds have been efficiently applied in practical agricultural production. This paper provides an overview of the phenolic allelochemicals (and their plant sources) that have been reported to have the most potential for weed growth inhibition as well as their modes of action. The biosynthetic pathway, classification, distribution, release, degradation, extraction, and isolation of these allelochemicals are also discussed. In addition, the advantages and limitations of applying these allelochemicals in weed management and sustainable agricultural development are indicated. Accordingly, there are three promising strategies to deal with the present problems and improve the effectiveness of future studies, including: (a) to discover a new approach combining phenolic allelochemicals and other prospective phytochemicals in the development of natural herbicides; (b) to modify the chemical structure for strengthening the stability and activity of the target compound; and (c) to generate resistant crops against weed stress related to the proliferation of phenolic allelochemicals through genetic engineering approaches. Conceivably, the information on phenolic allelochemicals that is assembled in this paper may provide a useful dataset for future studies on the application of artificial intelligence in the design and production of efficient natural herbicides for weed management and sustainable agricultural development.

Allelochemicals and soil microorganisms jointly mediate sex‐specific belowground interactions in dioecious Populus cathayana

“…Previous studies have shown that a high phenolic accumulation in soils can lead to regeneration failure and productivity decline in poplar forest plantations (Castells, 2008; Li et al ., 2018). In particular, phenolics secreted by roots reduce the immunity and stress resistance of plants (Hoang Anh et al ., 2021).…”

Allelopathy as a source of bioherbicides: challenges and prospects for sustainable agriculture

“…Recently, among the proposed approaches, research on allelopathy has become increasingly prevalent in weed management for agroecosystems (Hoang Anh et al 2021). Allelopathy, through its wide range of benefits, may become a promising solution to the problems of environmental pollution and the evolution of herbicide resistance (Jabran et al 2015).…”

Effects of Allelochemicals on Root Growth and Pod Yield in Response to Continuous Cropping Obstacle of Peanut

“…Most of the allelochemicals are secondary products released from plant root excretions or plant residues, such as phenolic acids, luteolin, and resveratrol, which severely accumulate in the soil of legumes CC systems [19][20][21]. Experiments indicated that allelochemicals were a group of promising compounds that could be taken as weed inhibitors due to their environmentally friendly properties [22][23][24][25]. As major components of allelochemicals induced by allelopathic effects, phenolic acids could influence the growth, productivity, and yield of the crops [26,27].…”