Toxicity profiles of potential biocontrol agents of Orobanche ramosa

Fifty three fungal strains belonging to 15 different species, mainly of the genus Fusarium, isolated from Orobanche ramosa plants were grown both in liquid and solid media and the obtained extracts were chemically analysed and biologically assayed with different aims: to find new metabolites with the ability to inhibit germination of O. ramosa seeds for use as natural herbicides; to estimate the production of fusaric and dehydrofusaric acids by Fusarium strains and evaluate their possible involvement in the disease as virulence factors and their practical use as biomarkers to make the selection of potential mycoherbicides easier; to ascertain the production of toxins known as dangerous mammalian toxins, as a preliminary assessment of the risk in releasing potential mycoherbicides into the environment.