BACKGROUND Recent studies have highlighted the possibility of using a mixture of three fungal toxins produced by Ascochyta caulina as a bioherbicide to control noxious weeds. However, to assess the commercial potential of this new bioherbicide, it is necessary to increase knowledge regarding the environmental behaviour of these toxins, and particularly their effects on non-target organisms. A n...

Gene expression profiles of Digitaria sanguinalis infected by Curvularia eragrostidis strain QZ-2000 at two concentrations of conidia and two dew durations were analyzed by cDNA amplified fragment length polymorphisms (cDNA-AFLP). Inoculum strength was more determinant of gene expression than dew duration. A total of 256 primer combinations were used for selective amplification and 1214 transcr...

Sagitaria trifolia, Alisma plantago-aquatica and Echinochloa spp. are among the most important damaging weeds in paddy fields. In this research, Alternaria pellucida was isolated from the weeds and then its pathogenicity effects was examined on these weeds and five other rice cultivars, including two bred (Sepidroud and Khazar) and three landraces (Ali Kazemi, Hashemi and Binam), in a completel...

Several examples, some spectacular, are available of successful applications of weed biocontrol approaches with plant pathogenic agents in agricultural and rangeland situations. The overall percentage rate of success of all such programs attempted cannot yet be documented, however. Both the "mycoherbicide" method, in which large quantities of inoculum are directly applied to target plants, and ...