Allelopathy and crop nutrition

Allelopathy, the natural phenomenon of production and release of secondary metabolites and interaction(s) among organisms, is a subject of diverse significance and applications in plant sciences. Other than their role in plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses, plant secondary metabolites or allelochemicals play a significant role in plant nutrition. These allelochemicals regulate solubilization, mobilization, release, and chelation of mineral nutrients, upon release into the rhizosphere. Arresting nitrification could be a key strategy to improve nitrogen (N) recovery and agronomic N use efficiency (NUE) in situations where loss of N is significant. Allelopathy can help to improve NUE by suppressing the rate of nitrification. In this chapter, the role of allelopathy in nutrient release and acquisition by crop plants is discussed.