Abstract
Allelopathy is a biochemical interaction between plants in which a donor plant releases secondary metabolites, allelochemicals, that are detrimental to the growth of its neighbours. Traditionally considered as bilateral interactions between two plants, allelopathy has recently emerged as a cross-kingdom process that can influence and be modulated by the other organisms in the plant's environment. Here, we review the current knowledge on plant-interkingdom interactions, with a particular focus on benzoxazinoids. We highlight how allelochemical-producing plants influence not only their plant neighbours but also insects, fungi, and bacteria that live on or around them. We discuss challenges that need to be overcome to study chemical plant-interkingdom interactions, and we propose experimental approaches to address how biotic and chemical processes impact plant health.
Highlights
Plants make use of secondary metabolites to communicate with their environment
Allelopathy is distinct from general resource competition, both might result in the same outcome
BX6 glucosylates DIBOA to DIBOA-Glc, which is converted by BX8 and BX9 to 2,4,7-trihydroxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one glucoside (TRIBOA-Glc) and further methoxylated to DIMBOA-Glc by BX7 [15,16]
Summary
Allelopathy is a biochemical interaction between plants in which a donor plant releases secondary metabolites, allelochemicals, that are detrimental to the growth of its neighbours. In a more restricted definition of the term [2], to which we will adhere in this article, ‘‘allelopathy’’ refers solely to interactions that are detrimental for at least one of the interaction partners In such a scenario, a donor plant releases allelochemicals that inhibit the growth or development of neighbouring plants, often of competitor species. The role of the biotic soil environment needs to be understood and taken into account when evaluating allelopathic crop traits for agricultural strategies such as weed management [7,8,9,10] In sweet grasses such as maize, rye, and wheat, allelopathy is often mediated by allelochemicals of the benzoxazinoid (BX) family [3,11,12,13], the focus of this review
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