Advancements and Challenges in Allelopathy: a Global Perspective on Agricultural Practices

Abstract In plants, allelopathy refers to the positive or negative effects that one plant has on another through the release of chemical compounds into the environment, typically from roots, leaves, stems, flowers, fruits, or decaying plant matter. Allelopathy plays an important role in plant competition, crop rotation, weed suppression, and ecosystem dynamics, is now getting attention as a promising method for sustainable agriculture. This paper explains the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the differences in its application in agricultural practices between developed and developing countries. In developed countries, allelopathy application can be optimized by improved technologies, appropriate crop management practices, and careful selection of allelopathic species. Allelochemicals such as phenolics, terpenoids, alkaloids, and momilactones are potentially applied in sustainable agriculture through some marketed bioherbicides, cover crops, and crop rotation for weed and pest control. Although breeding and genetic engineering aim to enhance allelopathic traits in crops have been extensively studied, but desired allelopathic crops have not yet succeeded. In contrast, developing countries face challenges in development of commercial bioherbicides due to limited funding, poor infrastructure, and restricted access to technologies for isolating bioactive compounds and synthesizing bioherbicides from allelochemicals. Therefore, smallholder farmers have accustomed to use traditional allelopathic materials, such as neem, mustard, and garlic extracts, but these are not officially recognized because there are neither proper regulations nor scientific standardization have been approved. To solve these problems, this review suggests increasing knowledge-sharing, technology transfer, and research cooperation between developed and developing countries. Also, improving policies and regulations for bioherbicides in developing countries will aid farmers to extend the use of allelochemical-derived compounds in agricultural practices. By applying the findings from this paper, many countries can optimize their allelopathy-based farming systems according to their local conditions, contributing to sustainable agriculture, environmental protection, and food security.