Natural herbicide

Abstract

A natural herbicide comprising a Burkholderia species cell-free culture fraction having herbicidal activity is provided. The natural herbicide may comprise a cell free fraction having a molecular weight less than about 5000 Daltons, less than 1000 Daltons, or a substantially purified compound having a molecular weight of about 192 Daltons or about 390 Daltons. A method of suppressing or controlling growth of a target plant by applying a composition comprising the natural herbicide is also provided, as is a method of producing a natural herbicide. The natural herbicide may be produced by obtaining a cell-free culture conditioned by growth of a Burkholderia species, fractionating the cell-free culture to obtain a fraction having herbicidal activity, and purifying the fraction having herbicidal activity to produce the natural herbicide.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.