Soil microorganisms: An important determinant of allelopathic activity

Current evidence illustrates the significance of soil microbes in influencing the bioavailability of allelochemicals. This review discusses (i) the significance of soil microorganisms in influencing allelopathic expression, (ii) different ways of avoiding microbial degradation of putative allelochemicals, and (iii) the need of incorporating experiments on microbial modification of allelochemicals in laboratory bioassays for allelopathy. Several climatic and edaphic factors affect the soil microflora; therefore, allelopathy should be assessed in a range of soil types. Allelopathy can be better understood in terms of soil microbial ecology, and appropriate methodologies are needed to evaluate the roles of soil microorganisms in chemically-mediated interactions between plants.