Development of biological herbicide to control Palmer amaranth

Researchers at Colorado State University [CSU] are working to develop a biological herbicide that will specifically target Palmer amaranth, one of the most problematic weeds for all U.S. crop producers. The project is funded by the USDA-NIFA, and is being jointly conducted by CSU researchers in the Departments of Biology and Agricultural Biology.

All crop producers are aware of Palmer amaranth’s resistance to multiple herbicides. The aim of this research is to use synthetic biology techniques to develop a biological herbicide that will replace commonly used chemical herbicides to control this weed.

It is hoped that the development of a biological herbicide that targets only Palmer amaranth will provide a way to manage this weed in a more effective and environmentally-friendly way. The researchers hope to accomplish this by developing RNA molecules known as Ribozymes that can influence the expression of specific genes in the weed that support its immune system and/or regulate its metabolism. Thus, this approach seeks to eliminate the weed through an infection that targets only this specific weed vs. the present approach of using chemical herbicides that kill myriad weed species as well as injuring or killing crop plants they contact.

The research to develop this biological herbicide is in the preliminary stages. Current experiments will be conducted to 1) validate the developed compound’s inability to infect non-target plants, and 2) determine if this method of weed control is transferrable to other weed species. If such biological control of weeds can be developed and used in lieu of chemical herbicides, then both producers and the environment will benefit.

One thing is for certain. New technology to control problem weeds such as Palmer amaranth must be forthcoming since chemical herbicides can no longer be relied on for the effective control of problem weeds that have evolved resistance to them. Thus, it is hoped that this new avenue of weed control can come to fruition in the near future.

Click here for a CSU News Release with information about this research and here for goals and objectives of the research that is funded.

Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, Sep. 2024, larryh91746@gmail.com