Theses and Dissertations

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4889-005X

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Tseng, Te-Ming P.

Committee Member

Reynolds, Daniel B.

Committee Member

Peterson, Daniel G.

Committee Member

Shankle, Mark W.

Committee Member

Burgos, Nilda R.

Date of Degree

5-12-2023

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

Major

Weed Science

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)

College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department

Department of Plant and Soil Sciences

Abstract

Mississippi ranks among the leading states in sweetpotato production in the US. However, managing weeds in sweetpotato fields presents a significant challenge, and the limited availability of herbicides labeled for use in sweetpotato makes it even more challenging. The widespread and repeated use of herbicides has led to the development of weed resistance. In addition, herbicides are incompatible with the organic production system. Finding sustainable weed management strategies to provide weed control options for organic cultivation and detain the development of herbicide-resistant weeds under conventional crop production is imperative. The natural chemicals released by the plants, also called allelochemicals, can potentially suppress weeds and be used for weed management under conventional and organic cultivation systems. The current study aimed to 1) screen the sweetpotato varieties for their weed-suppressing effect on the growth of weeds in controlled conditions using a stair-step structure, 2) evaluate the allelopathic suppression of selected sweetpotato varieties under field conditions, and 3) identify and quantify allelochemicals released by the roots of seventeen sweetpotato varieties. Results of the current study on the availability of allelopathic sweetpotato varieties will benefit organic producers by enhancing crop productivity. They will decrease reliance on synthetic herbicides in conventional farming systems. Identifying and quantifying allelochemicals will also improve our knowledge of allelopathy and provide valuable information for developing allelopathic sweetpotato varieties.

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