A mycoherbicide is a
herbicide
Herbicides (, ), also commonly known as weed killers, are substances used to control undesired plants, also known as weeds.EPA. February 201Pesticides Industry. Sales and Usage 2006 and 2007: Market Estimates. Summary in press releasMain page f ...
based on a
fungus
A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...
.
As a biological agent, these "mycoherbicides... work by producing toxic compounds that dissolve the cell walls of targeted plants". Unlike traditional herbicides, mycoherbicides can reproduce themselves and linger in the soil for many years to destroy replanted crops.
Commercial weed control products
These include:
[
* '' Alter naria destruens'', to control ]dodder
''Cuscuta'' (), commonly known as dodder or amarbel, is a genus of over 201 species of yellow, orange, or red (rarely green) parasitic plants. Formerly treated as the only genus in the family Cuscutaceae, it now is accepted as belonging in the ...
* '' Chondrostereum purpureum'', to control ''Prunus
''Prunus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs from the family (biology), family Rosaceae. The genus includes plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots and almonds (collectively Drupe, stonefruit). The genus has a cosm ...
'' & ''Populus
''Populus'' is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar (), aspen, and cottonwood.
The we ...
'' spp. in parts of Europe and Canada
* '' Colletotrichum acutatum'', to control Silky hakea
* ''Colletotrichum gloeosporioides
''Glomerella cingulata'' is a fungal plant pathogen, being the name of the sexual stage ( teleomorph) while the more commonly referred to asexual stage ( anamorph) is called ''Colletotrichum gloeosporioides''. For most of this article the pathog ...
'' f. sp. ''aeschynomene'': isolated from Northern joint vetch ('' Aeschynomene virginica'') for rice & soybeans
* '' Cylindrobasidium laeve'' to control ''Acacia mearnsii
''Acacia mearnsii'', commonly known as black wattle, late black wattle or green wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is Endemism, endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is usually an erect tree with smooth bark, Glo ...
'' (black wattle) in S. Africa
* '' Phytophthora palmivora'': isolated from strangler vine ('' Morrenia odorata'')
* '' Puccinia canaliculate'', to control Yellow nutsedge
* '' Puccinia thalaspeos'', to control Dyer's woad
* '' Sclerotinia minor'', to control Dandelion
''Taraxacum'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus has a near-cosmopolitan distribu ...
Drug plants
In the United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
, the Office of National Drug Control Policy
The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is a component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States.
The director of the ONDCP, colloquially known as the drug czar, heads the office. "Drug czar" was a term first used ...
Reauthorization Act of 2006 (H.R. 2829) passed with the inclusion of language to initiate research into the use of mycoherbicides against drug crops in foreign countries. In particular, the U.S. is considering using '' Fusarium oxysporum'' as a mycoherbicide against coca
Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. Coca is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. Coca leaves contain cocaine which acts as a mild stimulant when chewed or ...
plants in Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
.[ The ]United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
is currently drafting its own version of the bill.[
]
See also
* Bioherbicide
* Plan Colombia
Plan Colombia was a United States foreign aid, military aid, and diplomatic initiative aimed at combating Colombian drug cartels and left-wing insurgent groups. The plan was originally conceived in 1999 by the administrations of Colombian Presid ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Fact Sheet on Mycoherbicide Cooperation
Center for International Policy
Wired article about mycoherbicide use against coca plants
Herbicides
*
Fungus ecology
Fungi and humans