Understanding of Plant Communication in Order to Enhance Crop Competitive Ability.

An understanding of how plants communicate may provide an insightful understanding of the molecular and physiological mechanisms involved in both inter and intra-specific plant competition.   Knowledge of how plants recognize strangers and siblings is very limited.   If we understand this communication from a mechanistic perspective, then enhancements in crop tolerance to competition may be a possibility.  Crop breeding for improved competitive ability to weed competition has long been a goal for weed science.  Studies conducted to identify specific morphological traits that enhance crop competitive ability have not been successful.  In order to advance this effort, we must first acknowledge crop and weed competition is not initially driven by competition for resources such as light, water and nutrients.  A new definition of plant competition will be presented that encompasses molecular and physiological mechanisms of plant communication.