Title: Evaluation of Alternaria alternata ITCC4896 for use as mycoherbicide to control Parthenium hysterophorus

Abstract: Mycoherbicides are specialty biotechnology products which employ the use of fungi or fungal metabolites as non-chemical alternatives, thereby reducing the input of harmful chemicals to control noxious weeds. The present communication emphasises the potential of an indigenous isolate of Alternaria alternata ITCC 4896 as a mycoherbicide for the global weed Parthenium hysterophorus. Of the various spore concentrations tested by in vitro detached leaf bioassay, 1 106 spores/ml was the most effective, inducing 89.2% leaf area damage on the seventh day and was further tested by the whole plant bioassay. Both in vitro detached leaf assay and whole plant bioassay exhibited a similar trend in disease development, exhibiting 50% damage at 96 hours post-treatment. However, 100% mortality was observed in the whole plant bioassay on the seventh day. This is the very first report on the bioweedicidal potential of Alternaria alternata ITCC 4896 (LC#508) for use as a mycoherbicide for Parthenium hysterophorus. [Sanjai Saxena & Mukesh Kumar (2010). Evaluation of Alternaria alternata ITCC4896 for use as mycoherbicide to control Parthenium hysterophorus. Archives of Phytopathology and Plant Protection, 43(12), 1160-1164. DOI: 10.1080/03235400802343825]

Keywords: Alternaria alternata; fungi; mycoherbicide; Parthenium hysterophorus; pathogenicity; bioweedicide



Article: WeedsNews1139 (permalink)
Categories: :WeedsNews:research alert, :WeedsNews:weed alert
Date: 12 October 2010; 1:43:39 PM AEDT

Author Name: David Low
Author ID: adminDavid