1EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (a collaborative alliance between NSW Department of Primary Industries and Charles Sturt University), Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia.
2School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 588, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia.
3Environmental and Analytical Laboratories, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 588, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia.
*Corresponding Author: E-mail: hanwen.wu@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L) has been extensively studied for its allelopathic potential in weed management. Wheat plants can produce and exude allelochemicals into their surroundings to suppress weed growth. Many allelochemicals responsible for weed suppression have been identified. Recently, modern genomics approaches have been exploited to identify genetic markers associated with wheat allelopathy, to study the mode of actions of allelochemicals and to discover the genes encoding the complex biosynthesis of plant defence compounds. Plant cytochrome P450s catalyse myriad biosynthetic pathways of plant secondary metabolites. A number of cytochrome P450s have been reported and cDNAs of these P450s are now available for further identification of new P450 families and subfamilies. Five P450 genes involved in the biosynthesis of a wheat allelochemical DIBOA have been identified. Parallel analyses of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, coupling with the data mining tool bioinformatics, will greatly assist in the identification of genes encoding the biosynthesis of allelochemicals. The genetic manipulation could be performed to regulate the biosynthesis of allelochemicals, thereby resulting in better weed suppression via elevated levels of allelopathic potential in commercial wheat cultivars.
Allelochemicals, allelopathy, cytochrome P450, gene expression, Triticum aestivum, weed management
