The Role of Fungi in Weed Biocontrol: A Review

Abstract

Weeds are one of the major threats to the agricultural sector as well as to the natural environment, and it is important to control them. They cause serious threats to commercial crop production, global vegetation, and human health. Invasion by exotic weed species imposes a significant impact on native plant communities and their biodiversity, leading to major changes in global vegetation patterns. Biological control has become popular during the past few decades. In agricultural systems, weeds are controlled using chemicals. However, it has some limitations in natural systems. Furthermore, the use of biological control for weeds increased due to increased public awareness of the negative impacts of chemical herbicides and the increase of herbicide-resistant weeds. Biological control of weeds focuses on the use of co-evolved natural enemies such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Nowadays, biological control of weeds with fungi was popular because it is environmentally safe, sustainable and has beneficial applications. This review focuses on fungi as potential biocontrol agents for weeds and the success achieved in case studies.