Colletotrichum echinochloae: A Potential Bioherbicide Agent for Control of Barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv.)

Barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv.) is one of the most troublesome weeds in transplanted and direct-seeded rice worldwide. To develop a strategy for the biocontrol of barnyardgrass, fungal isolates were recovered from barnyardgrass plants that exhibited signs of necrosis and wilt. An isolate B-48 with a high level of pathogenicity to barnyardgrass was identified after pathogenicity tests. From cultural and DNA sequence data, this strain was identified as Colletotrichum echinochloae. The inoculation of the barnyardgrass plant with C. echinochloae caused a significant reduction in fresh weight. The isolate B-48 was highly pathogenic to barnyardgrass at the three- to four-leaf stages. When inoculated at a concentration of 1 × 107 spores/mL, barnyardgrass could achieve a reduction in fresh weight of more than 50%. This strain was safe for rice and most plant species. The results of this study indicated that this strain could be a potential mycoherbicide for barnyardgrass control in paddy fields in the future.