Palmer amaranth continues its invasive spread through U.S. soybean fields. A bioherbicide could be a solution. Bioherbicides use a living organism, like a fungus or bacterium, or its derivatives, to control weeds. This research focuses on fungal pathogens to create a novel, highly aggressive bioherbicide that can control Palmer amaranth and other pigweeds. The search began by collecting diseased pigweeds throughout Arkansas in beyond. They isolated the fungi that attacked the plants and created a library of options to screen for bioherbicide potential. The focus is fungi specific to pigweed species, to take advantage of pathogenicity for just those weeds without damaging other plants. They are selecting the most promising, aggressive pathogens and creating panels of genetic variations to figure out what genes in the fungus promote virulence.

Key Benefactors:
Farmers, agronomists, weed scientists, herbicide developers