Adaptive Evolution in Weeds: Molecular Basis and Management

Dear Colleagues,

Weeds are the most important biotic limitation to agricultural production and pose a major threat to global food security. In hundreds of years, weeds have been subjected to frequent anthropogenic disturbances aiming to eradicating them. Selective pressures exerted by agronomic practices on weed populations inevitably foster the evolution of adaptive traits. Among them, seed dormancy, germination behavior, herbicide resistance, and stress tolerance, are key adaptive traits for weed success in agricultural ecosystems. However, the molecular basis and genetic regulation of the evolution process remains unclear in the literature, and challenges may arise when employing this knowledge to refine our weed-management strategies.

In this Special Issue, entitled "Adaptive Evolution in Weeds: Molecular Basis and Management", we attempt to elucidate the molecular basis of weed adaptive evolution by contributing with novel mechanistic insights and important management strategies. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the molecular basis of seed dormancy and germination, mechanisms of herbicide resistance and biotic/abiotic stress tolerance, and integrated weed management.

Welcome invite submissions of research that includes, but is not limited to, the following areas:

1. New insights into weed adaptive evolution;
2. Weed-seed dormancy and germination;
3. Abiotic/biotic stress tolerance;
4. Target-site/non-target-site herbicide resistance;
5. Molecular basis of evolution and phenotypic variation in adaptive traits;
6. Management of herbicide/stress resistance;
7. Novel approaches for weed-management strategies.

We welcome novel research articles and reviews addressing all the related topics that introduce new discoveries, insights, and management strategies regarding adaptive evolution occurring in weeds.

Prof. Dr. Shouhui Wei
Guest Editor

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