This book provides the reader with relevant information about actual knowledge of the process of allelopathy, covering all aspects from the molecular to the ecological level. Special emphasis is given to the physiological and ecophysiological aspects of allelopathy. Several ecosystems are studied and methodological considerations are taken into account in several chapters. The book has been written to be useful both for Ph.D. students and for senior researchers, so the chapters include all necessary information to be read by beginners, but also include a lot of useful information and discussion for the initiated.
Introduction to allelopathy.- Basic pathways for the origin of allelopathic compounds.- Clues in the search of new herbicides.- Distinguishing allelopathy from resource competition.- Toxicity in allelopathy.- Allelochemicals and photosynthesis.- Cell cycle analyses for understanding growth inhibition.- Detoxification of allelochemicals. The case of bezoxazolin-2(3H)-one (BOA).- Allelopathy and abiotic stress.- Allelopathy and biotic stresses.- Plant secondary metabolites. Targets and mechanisms of allelopathy.- Mitochondria as a site of allelochemical action.- Weed germination, seedling growth and their lesson for allelopathy in agriculture.- Allelopathy.- Microorganisms and allelopathy.- Ecological relationships and allelopathy.- Resistance and susceptibility of plant communities to invasions.- Allelopathy in marine ecosystems.- Allelopathy in aquatic environments.- Forest ecosystems and allelopathy.- Allelopathic interactions in agroecosystems.- Playing with chemistry.- Modes of action of phytotoxins from plants.- Allelopathy in ecological sustainable agriculture.- Parasitic weeds and allelopathy.