Herbicide Mechanisms of Action and Resistance

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 June 2022) | Viewed by 23733

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Corteva Agriscience: Indianapolis, IN, USA
Interests: Herbicide biochemistry; Mode of action; Herbicide resistance; Weed management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Herbicides are and have been the most important tool to control weeds around the world, representing a highly efficient approach for weed management. The repetitive use of these chemicals, however, can lead to the evolution of herbicide resistance, posing a major threat for global agriculture and food production. Therefore, the need for novel herbicide modes of action has never been more important. The discovery and development of new herbicides requires a deep understanding around the mode(s) of action of both novel and current herbicides. Likewise, elucidating the mechanisms of herbicide resistance has become crucial to create alternative tools to assist weed management, such as molecular markers, resistance breakers, resistant crops, population genetics, and others.

This Special Issue focuses on the herbicide mechanism of action and resistance. We encourage authors to submit their research involving herbicide resistance, weed physiology, herbicide biochemistry, mode of action, weed genetics, herbicide interaction, and related topics.

Dr. Hudson Takano
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Herbicide physiology
  • Mode of action
  • Herbicide resistance
  • Biochemistry
  • Weed management

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 3146 KiB  
Article
Diversity of Herbicide-Resistance Mechanisms of Avena fatua L. to Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase-Inhibiting Herbicides in the Bajio, Mexico
by J Antonio Tafoya-Razo, Saul Alonso Mora-Munguía and Jesús R. Torres-García
Plants 2022, 11(13), 1644; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11131644 - 22 Jun 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1943
Abstract
Herbicide resistance is an evolutionary process that affects entire agricultural regions’ yield and productivity. The high number of farms and the diversity of weed management can generate hot selection spots throughout the regions. Resistant biotypes can present a diversity of mechanisms of resistance [...] Read more.
Herbicide resistance is an evolutionary process that affects entire agricultural regions’ yield and productivity. The high number of farms and the diversity of weed management can generate hot selection spots throughout the regions. Resistant biotypes can present a diversity of mechanisms of resistance and resistance factors depending on selective conditions inside the farm; this situation is similar to predictions by the geographic mosaic theory of coevolution. In Mexico, the agricultural region of the Bajio has been affected by herbicide resistance for 25 years. To date, Avena fatua L. is one of the most abundant and problematic weed species. The objective of this study was to determine the mechanism of resistance of biotypes with failures in weed control in 70 wheat and barley crop fields in the Bajio, Mexico. The results showed that 70% of farms have biotypes with target site resistance (TSR). The most common mutations were Trp–1999–Cys, Asp–2078–Gly, Ile–2041–Asn, and some of such mutations confer cross-resistance to ACCase-inhibiting herbicides. Metabolomic fingerprinting showed four different metabolic expression patterns. The results confirmed that in the Bajio, there exist multiple selection sites for both resistance mechanisms, which proves that this area can be considered as a geographic mosaic of resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Mechanisms of Action and Resistance)
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12 pages, 1509 KiB  
Article
A Target-Site Mutation Confers Cross-Resistance to ALS-Inhibiting Herbicides in Erigeron sumatrensis from Brazil
by Vanessa Vital Silva, Rafael Mendes, Andreia Suzukawa, Fernando Adegas, Francismar Marcelino-Guimaraes and Rubem Oliveira, Jr.
Plants 2022, 11(4), 467; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11040467 - 9 Feb 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2254
Abstract
Cases of weed resistant to herbicides have changed the dynamics of agricultural areas in Brazil, and in recent years, Erigeron species have caused major problems to farmers in the country, mainly in relation to the ineffectiveness of herbicide treatments used. The objective of [...] Read more.
Cases of weed resistant to herbicides have changed the dynamics of agricultural areas in Brazil, and in recent years, Erigeron species have caused major problems to farmers in the country, mainly in relation to the ineffectiveness of herbicide treatments used. The objective of this study was to confirm the cross-resistance to ALS inhibitors in populations of Erigeron sumatrensis as well as to investigate the existence of mutations in the site of action of ALS-inhibiting herbicides. To do this, 30 populations collected in the 2016/2017 crop season were grown in a greenhouse. Dose–response (chlorimuron-ethyl and cloransulam-methyl), inhibition of cytochrome P-450 with malathion, and ALS gene sequencing experiments were carried out in the F1 generations of two fleabane populations. The results proved the cross-resistance to chlorimuron-ethyl and cloransulam-methyl herbicides applied in the post-emergence of the resistant population of E. sumatrensis. The higher activity of P450 enzymes is unlikely responsible for the resistance of the population studied. The resistance mechanism found in R was the target site mutation Pro197Ser at the ALS gene. This is the first study in Brazil to identify a target-site change as a survival mechanism in E. sumatrensis for the resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Mechanisms of Action and Resistance)
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9 pages, 1645 KiB  
Article
Acetolactate Synthase-Inhibitor Resistance in Monochoria vaginalis (Burm. f.) C. Presl from Indonesia
by Ryan Widianto, Denny Kurniadie, Dedi Widayat, Uum Umiyati, Ceppy Nasahi, Santika Sari, Abdul Shukor Juraimi and Hisashi Kato-Noguchi
Plants 2022, 11(3), 400; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11030400 - 31 Jan 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2577
Abstract
Monochoria vaginalis (Burm. f.) C. Presl, belonging to the family Pontederiaceae, is an aquatic herbaceous plant, native to temperate and tropical Asia. The species often occurs in paddy fields as a noxious weed in East Asia, and in the USA, and causes a [...] Read more.
Monochoria vaginalis (Burm. f.) C. Presl, belonging to the family Pontederiaceae, is an aquatic herbaceous plant, native to temperate and tropical Asia. The species often occurs in paddy fields as a noxious weed in East Asia, and in the USA, and causes a significant reduction in rice production. The objective of the present research was the evaluation of the resistance levels of M. vaginalis against three chemical groups of acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibitor herbicides and other two different groups of herbicides, and the investigation of the mutations in the ALS gene of the resistant biotype of M. vaginalis. Herbicide dose–response experiments showed that the resistant biotype of M. vaginalis was highly resistant to bensulfuron-methyl, moderately resistant to bispyribac-sodium, had low resistance to penoxsulam and 2,4-D dimethyl ammonium, and was susceptible to sulfentrazone. The nucleotide sequences of the ALS gene of resistant and susceptible biotypes showed 14 base substitutions, which caused two amino acid substitutions: Val-143-Ile and Val-148-Ile. It is the first report of the substitutions of amino acids Val-143-Ile and Val-148-Ile in ALS protein. Those mutations may give different resistance spectra against three ALS-inhibitor herbicides: bensulfuron-methyl, bispyribac-sodium, and penoxsulam. Further research is needed to elucidate the molecular basis of target-site resistance mechanisms such as the transformation of the ALS gene of M. vaginalis. It is also necessary to evaluate herbicide mixtures and/or the rotation of herbicide sites of action to control the resistant biotype of M. vaginalis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Mechanisms of Action and Resistance)
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14 pages, 4346 KiB  
Article
Novel Mutation in the Acetohydroxyacid Synthase (AHAS), Gene Confers Imidazolinone Resistance in Chickpea Cicer arietinum L. Plants
by Shmuel Galili, Joseph Hershenhorn, Marvin Edelman, Vladimir Sobolev, Evgeny Smirnov, Orit Amir-Segev, Aharon Bellalou and Evgenia Dor
Plants 2021, 10(12), 2791; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10122791 - 16 Dec 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2884
Abstract
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important crop in crop-rotation management in Israel. Imidazolinone herbicides have a wide spectrum of weed control, but chickpea plants are sensitive to acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS; also known as acetolactate synthase [ALS]) inhibitors. Using the chemical mutagen [...] Read more.
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important crop in crop-rotation management in Israel. Imidazolinone herbicides have a wide spectrum of weed control, but chickpea plants are sensitive to acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS; also known as acetolactate synthase [ALS]) inhibitors. Using the chemical mutagen ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), we developed a chickpea line (M2033) that is resistant to imidazolinone herbicides. A point mutation was detected in one of the two genes encoding the AHAS catalytic subunit of M2033. The transition of threonine to isoleucine at position 192 (203 according to Arabidopsis) conferred resistance of M2033 to imidazolinones, but not to other groups of AHAS inhibitors. The role of this substitution in the resistance of line M2033 was proven by genetic transformation of tobacco plants. This resistance showed a single-gene semidominant inheritance pattern. Conclusion: A novel mutation, T192I (T203I according to Arabidopsis), providing resistance to IMI herbicides but not to other groups of AHAS inhibitors, is described in the AHAS1 protein of EMS-mutagenized chickpea line M2033. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Mechanisms of Action and Resistance)
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9 pages, 1811 KiB  
Article
Biochemical Basis for the Time-of-Day Effect on Glufosinate Efficacy against Amaranthus palmeri
by Hudson K. Takano and Franck E. Dayan
Plants 2021, 10(10), 2021; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10102021 - 26 Sep 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2084
Abstract
Glufosinate, a glutamine synthetase (GS) inhibitor, often provides variable weed control depending on environmental conditions such as light, temperature and humidity at the time of application. Midday applications normally provide improved efficacy compared to applications at dawn or dusk. We investigated the biochemical [...] Read more.
Glufosinate, a glutamine synthetase (GS) inhibitor, often provides variable weed control depending on environmental conditions such as light, temperature and humidity at the time of application. Midday applications normally provide improved efficacy compared to applications at dawn or dusk. We investigated the biochemical basis for the time-of-day effect on glufosinate efficacy in Amaranthus palmeri. GS1/GS2 gene expression and GS1/GS2 protein abundance were assessed in different parts (young leaves, old leaves, and roots) of plants incubated in the dark compared to those in the light. The turnover of GS total activity was also evaluated overtime following glufosinate treatment at midday compared to dusk application. The results suggest that GS in A. palmeri is less expressed and less abundant in the dark compared to in the light. Midday application of glufosinate under intense light conditions following application provide full control of A. palmeri plants. Consequently, these plants are unable to recover GS activity by de novo protein synthesis. Full activity of GS is required for complete inhibition by the irreversible inhibitor glufosinate. Therefore, glufosinate applications should always be performed in the middle of the day when sunlight is intense, to prevent weed escapes from the herbicide treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Mechanisms of Action and Resistance)
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12 pages, 1792 KiB  
Article
Non-Target Site Mechanisms Endow Resistance to Glyphosate in Saltmarsh Aster (Aster squamatus)
by José Alfredo Domínguez-Valenzuela, Ricardo Alcántara-de la Cruz, Candelario Palma-Bautista, José Guadalupe Vázquez-García, Hugo E. Cruz-Hipolito and Rafael De Prado
Plants 2021, 10(9), 1970; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10091970 - 21 Sep 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3025
Abstract
Of the six-glyphosate resistant weed species reported in Mexico, five were found in citrus groves. Here, the glyphosate susceptibility level and resistance mechanisms were evaluated in saltmarsh aster (Aster squamatus), a weed that also occurs in Mexican citrus groves. The R [...] Read more.
Of the six-glyphosate resistant weed species reported in Mexico, five were found in citrus groves. Here, the glyphosate susceptibility level and resistance mechanisms were evaluated in saltmarsh aster (Aster squamatus), a weed that also occurs in Mexican citrus groves. The R population accumulated 4.5-fold less shikimic acid than S population. S plants hardly survived at 125 g ae ha−1 while most of the R plants that were treated with 1000 g ae ha−1, which suffered a strong growth arrest, showed a vigorous regrowth from the third week after treatment. Further, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate basal and enzymatic activities did not diverge between populations, suggesting the absence of target-site resistance mechanisms. At 96 h after treatment, R plants absorbed ~18% less glyphosate and maintained 63% of the 14C-glyphsoate absorbed in the treated leaf in comparison to S plants. R plants metabolized twice as much (72%) glyphosate to amino methyl phosphonic acid and glyoxylate as the S plants. Three non-target mechanisms, reduced absorption and translocation and increased metabolism, confer glyphosate resistance saltmarsh aster. This is the first case of glyphosate resistance recorded for A. squamatus in the world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Mechanisms of Action and Resistance)
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10 pages, 779 KiB  
Article
The First Report of Target-Site Resistance to Glyphosate in Sweet Summer Grass (Moorochloa eruciformis)
by Romesh Salgotra and Bhagirath Singh Chauhan
Plants 2021, 10(9), 1885; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10091885 - 11 Sep 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2178
Abstract
Sweet summer grass is a problematic weed in the central Queensland region of Australia. This study found glyphosate resistance in two biotypes (R1 and R2) of sweet summer grass. The level of resistance in these biotypes was greater than 8-fold. The glyphosate dose [...] Read more.
Sweet summer grass is a problematic weed in the central Queensland region of Australia. This study found glyphosate resistance in two biotypes (R1 and R2) of sweet summer grass. The level of resistance in these biotypes was greater than 8-fold. The glyphosate dose required to reduce dry matter by 50% (GR50) for the resistant populations varied from 1993 to 2100 g ha−1. A novel glyphosate resistance double point mutation in the 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) gene was identified for the first time in sweet summer grass. Multiple mutations, including multiple amino acid changes at the glyphosate target site, as well as mutations involving two nucleotide changes at a single amino acid codon, were observed. Both resistant biotypes exhibited a nucleotide change of CAA to ACA in codon 106, which predicts an amino acid change of proline to a threonine (Pro-106-Thr). In addition, the R1 biotype also possessed a mutation at codon 100, where a nucleotide substitution of T for G occurred (GCT to TCT), resulting in a substitution of serine for alanine (Ala-100-Ser). Understanding the molecular mechanism of glyphosate resistance will help to design effective management strategies to control invasive weeds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Mechanisms of Action and Resistance)
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10 pages, 2887 KiB  
Article
Resistance Mechanism to Metsulfuron-Methyl in Polypogon fugax
by Xiaoyue Yu, Hanwen Wu, Jianping Zhang, Yongjie Yang, Wei Tang and Yongliang Lu
Plants 2021, 10(7), 1309; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10071309 - 28 Jun 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2341
Abstract
Polypogon fugax is a common winter weed in China and other Asia countries. We have previously found a P. fugax biotype (R) resistant to acetyl co-enzyme A carboxylase (ACCase) herbicides also cannot be effectively controlled by some acetolactate synthase (ALS) herbicides. This study [...] Read more.
Polypogon fugax is a common winter weed in China and other Asia countries. We have previously found a P. fugax biotype (R) resistant to acetyl co-enzyme A carboxylase (ACCase) herbicides also cannot be effectively controlled by some acetolactate synthase (ALS) herbicides. This study evaluated the level of resistance to four ALS herbicides (metsulfuron-methyl, chlorsulfuron, monosulfuron, pyribambenz isopropyl) in the R biotype and the associated resistance mechanism. The R biotype exhibited moderate level of resistance to metsulfuron-methyl (6.0-fold) compared with the sensitive biotype (S). Sequence analysis of ALS gene revealed that two ALS genes existed in P. fugax. However, no substitution associated with ALS resistance mechanism were found in ALS genes between the S and R biotypes. The activity of ALS enzyme isolated from the R biotype was inherently higher and less sensitive to metsulfuron-methyl than the S biotype. Glutathione S-transferases (GST) activity was also less sensitive to metsulfuron-methyl in the R than as the S biotypes. Malathion, a cytochrome P450 (CYP) monooxygenase inhibitor, had much greater synergistic effect with metsulfuron-methyl on the R than as the S plants, reducing the ED50 value (herbicide dose to inhibit growth by 50%) of metsulfuron-methyl by 23- and 6-fold, respectively, suggesting that CYP mediated enhanced metabolism might contribute to the resistance to ALS herbicides. These results suggest that metsulfuron-methyl resistance in the R biotype was associated with the up-regulated ALS enzymatic activity and the GST and CYP-mediated enhanced herbicide metabolism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Mechanisms of Action and Resistance)
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Review

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16 pages, 338 KiB  
Review
Herbicide Resistance in Phalaris Species: A Review
by Javid Gherekhloo, Saeid Hassanpour-bourkheili, Parvin Hejazirad, Sajedeh Golmohammadzadeh, Jose G. Vazquez-Garcia and Rafael De Prado
Plants 2021, 10(11), 2248; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112248 - 21 Oct 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2475
Abstract
Weeds, such as Phalaris spp., can drastically reduce the yield of crops, and the evolution of resistance to herbicides has further exacerbated this issue. Thus far, 23 cases of herbicide resistance in 11 countries have been reported in Phalaris spp., including Phalaris minor [...] Read more.
Weeds, such as Phalaris spp., can drastically reduce the yield of crops, and the evolution of resistance to herbicides has further exacerbated this issue. Thus far, 23 cases of herbicide resistance in 11 countries have been reported in Phalaris spp., including Phalaris minor Retz., Phalaris paradoxa L., and Phalaris brachystachys L., for photosystem II (PS-II), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase), and acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides. This paper will first review the cases of herbicide resistance reported in P. minor, P. paradoxa, and P. brachystachys. Then, the mechanisms of resistance in Phalaris spp. are discussed in detail. Finally, the fitness cost of herbicide resistance and the literature on the management of herbicide-resistant weeds from these species are reviewed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Mechanisms of Action and Resistance)
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