Applications for molecular biology in wild radish management

Abstract

Progress in plant biology has been substantial in recent years and there is now extensive information on many of the genes controlling key events in the plant lifecycle. In particular, genes involved in the production of and response to mobile signals, such as those that promote flower production and all of the major plant hormones, are now known. The proteins encoded by these genes are targets for the development of novel herbicides that are themselves mobile and can move from their site of application to perturb events during a specific stage of the lifecycle. Perhaps more significantly, given the detailed and constantly improving molecular knowledge, it should soon be possible to take advantage of differences that exist between plant species to develop herbicides that are more specific and target one particular weed or taxonomic class of plants, and are less damaging to non-target species, such as crops and other organisms in the environment.