Preliminary Screening of Isolated Mycoherbicidal Fungi for the Management of Noxious Weed Xanthium strumarium

Natural phytotoxins of fungi are great source for the discovery of new herbicide and its offer a benign and eco-friendly alternative to manage weed. Thus, this study aimed to select potential fungi with potent herbicidal activity for control of weeds. In the present study, various phytopathogenic fungi were isolated from infected tissues of variousweedsandevaluatedagainstXanthiumstrumarium,aproblematicmonocotyledonous weed of open lands, agriculture,horticultureandforests.Herbicidal potential of Cell Free Culture Filtrate (CFCF) of strains of Phoma herbarum(FGCCW#18,FGCCW#43)Fusariummo-nilifrome coded as FGCCW#35 and Fusarium roseumcodedasFGCCW#55againstXanthium strumarium were evaluated by seedling and shoot cut bioassays. Maximum mortalitiesofshoots,seedlingsandphytotoxic damage were obtained from 28 day sold cell free culture filtrate (CFCF) of FGCCW#18at100%concentration.Significant reduction in biological contents i.e.photosynthetic pigment and protein was observed in the host weed on treatment with the CFCF as determined by detached leaf bioassay. Phytotoxic damage such as severe wilting, chlorosis, necrosis and complete collapse of the entire parts of the weed were also noticed due to CFCF application