Herbicide Resistance in Plants

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 (31 December 2019) | Viewed by 86090

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Guest Editor
Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI), School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
Interests: herbicide resistance; herbicide-resistant crops; herbicide-resistant weeds; integrated weed management; transgenic crops

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Relentless evolution of herbicide-resistant (HR) weeds is an important global issue, with implications for food security and economic, agronomic, and environmental sustainability. The introduction of glyphosate-resistant crops in 1996 heralded a new level of weed control over the next 10 years but was followed by increasing evolution of glyphosate-resistant weeds. Today, the alarming occurrence of multiple resistance in weed populations concomitant with the paucity of herbicides over the past 30 years with a major new mode of action has led to increasing reliance on combined—or stacked—trait HR crops to manage these populations. This Special Issue of Plants will highlight global trends in the occurrence of HR weeds; recent developments in target-site and non-target-site resistance mechanisms; population genetics/genomics of HR weeds; potential implications of genome/gene editing for weed management; fitness of HR weeds and implications for management; recent developments in HR weed management including socio-economic considerations for enhancing grower adoption; and current status and future outlook for HR traits in cereal, oilseed, and annual/perennial legume crops.

Prof. Hugh J. Beckie
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • genetically modified crops
  • herbicide resistance
  • herbicide-resistant crops
  • herbicide-resistant weeds
  • integrated weed management
  • transgenic crops

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

4 pages, 191 KiB  
Editorial
Herbicide Resistance in Plants
by Hugh J Beckie
Plants 2020, 9(4), 435; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9040435 - 1 Apr 2020
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 5551
Abstract
Herbicide resistance in weeds is perhaps the most prominent research area within the discipline of weed science today. Incidence, management challenges, and the cost of multiple-resistant weed populations are continually increasing worldwide. Crop cultivars with multiple herbicide-resistance traits are being rapidly adopted by [...] Read more.
Herbicide resistance in weeds is perhaps the most prominent research area within the discipline of weed science today. Incidence, management challenges, and the cost of multiple-resistant weed populations are continually increasing worldwide. Crop cultivars with multiple herbicide-resistance traits are being rapidly adopted by growers and land managers to keep ahead of the weed resistance tsunami. This Special Issue of Plants comprises papers that describe the current status and future outlook of herbicide resistance research and development in weedy and domestic plants, with topics covering the full spectrum from resistance mechanisms to resistance management. The unifying framework for this Special issue, is the challenge initially posed to all of the contributors: what are the (potential) implications for herbicide resistance management? Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Resistance in Plants)

Research

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13 pages, 2244 KiB  
Article
Sensitivity Analysis of Italian Lolium spp. to Glyphosate in Agricultural Environments
by Silvia Panozzo, Alberto Collavo and Maurizio Sattin
Plants 2020, 9(2), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9020165 - 30 Jan 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2405
Abstract
Empirical observations generally indicate a shifting and decreased Lolium spp. susceptibility to glyphosate in Italy. This is likely due to the long history of glyphosate use and to the sub-lethal doses commonly used. There is, therefore, a need to determine the variability of [...] Read more.
Empirical observations generally indicate a shifting and decreased Lolium spp. susceptibility to glyphosate in Italy. This is likely due to the long history of glyphosate use and to the sub-lethal doses commonly used. There is, therefore, a need to determine the variability of response of Lolium spp. to glyphosate and identify the optimum field dose. To perform a sensitivity analysis on Lolium spp. populations in an agriculture area, collection sites were mainly chosen where glyphosate had not been applied intensely. Known glyphosate-resistant or in-shifting populations were included. Two outdoor dose-response pot experiments, including eleven doses of glyphosate, were conducted. The dose to control at least 93%–95% of susceptible Lolium spp. was around 450 g a.e. ha−1. However, to preserve its efficacy in the long term, it would be desirable not to have survivors, and this was reached at a glyphosate dose of 560 ± 88 g a.e. ha−1. Taking into account the variability of response among populations, it was established that the optimal dose of glyphosate to control Lolium spp. in Italy up to the stage BBCH 21 has to be at least 700 g a.e. ha−1. As a consequence, it is recommended to increase the label recommended field rate for Lolium spp. control in Italy to a minimum of 720 g a.e. ha−1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Resistance in Plants)
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12 pages, 1300 KiB  
Article
10,000-Times Diluted Doses of ACCase-Inhibiting Herbicides Can Permanently Change the Metabolomic Fingerprint of Susceptible Avena fatua L. Plants
by J António Tafoya-Razo, Ernesto Oregel-Zamudio, Sabina Velázquez-Márquez and Jesús R. Torres-García
Plants 2019, 8(10), 368; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8100368 - 24 Sep 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2765
Abstract
Intentional use of low dosage of herbicides has been considered the cause of non-target resistance in weeds. However, herbicide drift could be a source of low dosage that could be detected by weeds and change their metabolism. Furthermore, the minimum dose that a [...] Read more.
Intentional use of low dosage of herbicides has been considered the cause of non-target resistance in weeds. However, herbicide drift could be a source of low dosage that could be detected by weeds and change their metabolism. Furthermore, the minimum dose that a plant can detect in the environment is unknown, and it is unclear whether low doses could modify the response of weeds when they are first exposed to herbicides (priming effects). In this study, we determined the metabolomic fingerprinting using GC-MS of susceptible Avena fatua L. plants exposed to a gradient of doses (1, 0.1, 0.001, 0.0001, and 0x) relative to the recommended dose of clodinafop-propargyl. Additionally, we evaluated the primed plants when they received a second herbicide application. The results showed that even a 10,000-fold dilution of the recommended dose could induce a significant change in the plants’ metabolism and that this change is permanent over the biological cycle. There was no evidence that priming increased its resistance level. However, hormesis increased biomass accumulation and survival in A. fatua plants. Better application methods which prevent herbicide drift should be developed in order to avoid contact with weeds that grow around the crop fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Resistance in Plants)
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13 pages, 5664 KiB  
Article
Management of Glyphosate-Resistant Weeds in Mexican Citrus Groves: Chemical Alternatives and Economic Viability
by Ricardo Alcántara-de la Cruz, Pablo Alfredo Domínguez-Martínez, Hellen Martins da Silveira, Hugo Enrique Cruz-Hipólito, Candelario Palma-Bautista, José Guadalupe Vázquez-García, José Alfredo Domínguez-Valenzuela and Rafael De Prado
Plants 2019, 8(9), 325; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8090325 - 4 Sep 2019
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4546
Abstract
Glyphosate is a cheap herbicide that has been used to control a wide range of weeds (4–6 times/year) in citrus groves of the Gulf of Mexico; however, its excessive use has selected for glyphosate-resistant weeds. We evaluated the efficacy and economic viability of [...] Read more.
Glyphosate is a cheap herbicide that has been used to control a wide range of weeds (4–6 times/year) in citrus groves of the Gulf of Mexico; however, its excessive use has selected for glyphosate-resistant weeds. We evaluated the efficacy and economic viability of 13 herbicide treatments (glyphosate combined with PRE- and/or POST-emergence herbicides and other alternative treatments), applied in tank-mixture or sequence, to control glyphosate-resistant weeds in two Persian lime groves (referred to as SM-I and SM-II) of the municipality of Acateno, Puebla, during two years (2014 and 2015). The SM-I and SM-II fields had 243 and 346 weeds/m2, respectively, composed mainly of Bidens pilosa and Leptochloa virgata. Echinochloa colona was also frequent in SM-II. The glyphosate alone treatments (1080, 1440, or 1800 g ae ha−1) presented control levels of the total weed population ranging from 64% to 85% at 15, 30, and 45 d after treatment (DAT) in both fields. Mixtures of glyphosate with grass herbicides such as fluazifop-p-butyl, sethoxydim, and clethodim efficiently controlled E. colona and L. virgata, but favored the regrowth of B. pilosa. The sequential applications of glyphosate + (bromacil + diuron) and glufosinate + oxyfluorfen controlled more than 85% the total weed community for more than 75 days. However, these treatments were between 360% and 390% more expensive (1.79 and 1.89 $/day ha−1 of satisfactory weed control, respectively), compared to the representative treatment (glyphosate 1080 g ae ha−1 = USD $29.0 ha−1). In practical and economic terms, glufosinate alone was the best treatment controlling glyphosate resistant weeds maintaining control levels >80% for at least 60 DAT ($1.35/day ha−1). The rest of the treatments, applied in tank-mix or in sequence with glyphosate, had similar or lower control levels (~70%) than glyphosate at 1080 g ae ha−1. The adoption of glufosiante alone, glufosinate + oxyfluorfen or glyphosate + (bromacil + diuron) must consider the cost of satisfactory weed control per day, the period of weed control, as well as other factors associated with production costs to obtain an integrated weed management in the short and long term. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Resistance in Plants)
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Review

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14 pages, 685 KiB  
Review
Omics Potential in Herbicide-Resistant Weed Management
by Eric L. Patterson, Christopher Saski, Anita Küpper, Roland Beffa and Todd A. Gaines
Plants 2019, 8(12), 607; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8120607 - 14 Dec 2019
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 5778
Abstract
The rapid development of omics technologies has drastically altered the way biologists conduct research. Basic plant biology and genomics have incorporated these technologies, while some challenges remain for use in applied biology. Weed science, on the whole, is still learning how to integrate [...] Read more.
The rapid development of omics technologies has drastically altered the way biologists conduct research. Basic plant biology and genomics have incorporated these technologies, while some challenges remain for use in applied biology. Weed science, on the whole, is still learning how to integrate omics technologies into the discipline; however, omics techniques are more frequently being implemented in new and creative ways to address basic questions in weed biology as well as the more practical questions of improving weed management. This has been especially true in the subdiscipline of herbicide resistance where important questions are the evolution and genetic basis of herbicide resistance. This review examines the advantages, challenges, potential solutions, and outlook for omics technologies in the discipline of weed science, with examples of how omics technologies will impact herbicide resistance studies and ultimately improve management of herbicide-resistant populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Resistance in Plants)
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11 pages, 477 KiB  
Review
Fitness of Herbicide-Resistant Weeds: Current Knowledge and Implications for Management
by Martin M. Vila-Aiub
Plants 2019, 8(11), 469; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8110469 - 1 Nov 2019
Cited by 43 | Viewed by 4926
Abstract
Herbicide resistance is the ultimate evidence of the extraordinary capacity of weeds to evolve under stressful conditions. Despite the extraordinary plant fitness advantage endowed by herbicide resistance mutations in agroecosystems under herbicide selection, resistance mutations are predicted to exhibit an adaptation cost (i.e., [...] Read more.
Herbicide resistance is the ultimate evidence of the extraordinary capacity of weeds to evolve under stressful conditions. Despite the extraordinary plant fitness advantage endowed by herbicide resistance mutations in agroecosystems under herbicide selection, resistance mutations are predicted to exhibit an adaptation cost (i.e., fitness cost), relative to the susceptible wild-type, in herbicide untreated conditions. Fitness costs associated with herbicide resistance mutations are not universal and their expression depends on the particular mutation, genetic background, dominance of the fitness cost, and environmental conditions. The detrimental effects of herbicide resistance mutations on plant fitness may arise as a direct impact on fitness-related traits and/or coevolution with changes in other life history traits that ultimately may lead to fitness costs under particular ecological conditions. This brings the idea that a “lower adaptive value” of herbicide resistance mutations represents an opportunity for the design of resistance management practices that could minimize the evolution of herbicide resistance. It is evident that the challenge for weed management practices aiming to control, minimize, or even reverse the frequency of resistance mutations in the agricultural landscape is to “create” those agroecological conditions that could expose, exploit, and exacerbate those life history and/or fitness traits affecting the evolution of herbicide resistance mutations. Ideally, resistance management should implement a wide range of cultural practices leading to environmentally mediated fitness costs associated with herbicide resistance mutations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Resistance in Plants)
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16 pages, 351 KiB  
Review
Non-Target-Site Resistance to Herbicides: Recent Developments
by Mithila Jugulam and Chandrima Shyam
Plants 2019, 8(10), 417; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8100417 - 15 Oct 2019
Cited by 120 | Viewed by 7682
Abstract
Non-target-site resistance (NTSR) to herbicides in weeds can be conferred as a result of the alteration of one or more physiological processes, including herbicide absorption, translocation, sequestration, and metabolism. The mechanisms of NTSR are generally more complex to decipher than target-site resistance (TSR) [...] Read more.
Non-target-site resistance (NTSR) to herbicides in weeds can be conferred as a result of the alteration of one or more physiological processes, including herbicide absorption, translocation, sequestration, and metabolism. The mechanisms of NTSR are generally more complex to decipher than target-site resistance (TSR) and can impart cross-resistance to herbicides with different modes of action. Metabolism-based NTSR has been reported in many agriculturally important weeds, although reduced translocation and sequestration of herbicides has also been found in some weeds. This review focuses on summarizing the recent advances in our understanding of the physiological, biochemical, and molecular basis of NTSR mechanisms found in weed species. Further, the importance of examining the co-existence of TSR and NTSR for the same herbicide in the same weed species and influence of environmental conditions in the altering and selection of NTSR is also discussed. Knowledge of the prevalence of NTSR mechanisms and co-existing TSR and NTSR in weeds is crucial for designing sustainable weed management strategies to discourage the further evolution and selection of herbicide resistance in weeds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Resistance in Plants)
16 pages, 269 KiB  
Review
Target-Site Mutations Conferring Herbicide Resistance
by Brent P. Murphy and Patrick J. Tranel
Plants 2019, 8(10), 382; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8100382 - 28 Sep 2019
Cited by 94 | Viewed by 6769
Abstract
Mutations conferring evolved herbicide resistance in weeds are known in nine different herbicide sites of action. This review summarizes recently reported resistance-conferring mutations for each of these nine target sites. One emerging trend is an increase in reports of multiple mutations, including multiple [...] Read more.
Mutations conferring evolved herbicide resistance in weeds are known in nine different herbicide sites of action. This review summarizes recently reported resistance-conferring mutations for each of these nine target sites. One emerging trend is an increase in reports of 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. Standard reference sequences are suggested for target sites for which standards do not already exist. We also discuss experimental approaches for investigating cross-resistance patterns and for investigating fitness costs of specific target-site mutations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Resistance in Plants)
41 pages, 988 KiB  
Review
Population Genomic Approaches for Weed Science
by Sara L. Martin, Jean-Sebastien Parent, Martin Laforest, Eric Page, Julia M. Kreiner and Tracey James
Plants 2019, 8(9), 354; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8090354 - 19 Sep 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5519
Abstract
Genomic approaches are opening avenues for understanding all aspects of biological life, especially as they begin to be applied to multiple individuals and populations. However, these approaches typically depend on the availability of a sequenced genome for the species of interest. While the [...] Read more.
Genomic approaches are opening avenues for understanding all aspects of biological life, especially as they begin to be applied to multiple individuals and populations. However, these approaches typically depend on the availability of a sequenced genome for the species of interest. While the number of genomes being sequenced is exploding, one group that has lagged behind are weeds. Although the power of genomic approaches for weed science has been recognized, what is needed to implement these approaches is unfamiliar to many weed scientists. In this review we attempt to address this problem by providing a primer on genome sequencing and provide examples of how genomics can help answer key questions in weed science such as: (1) Where do agricultural weeds come from; (2) what genes underlie herbicide resistance; and, more speculatively, (3) can we alter weed populations to make them easier to control? This review is intended as an introduction to orient weed scientists who are thinking about initiating genome sequencing projects to better understand weed populations, to highlight recent publications that illustrate the potential for these methods, and to provide direction to key tools and literature that will facilitate the development and execution of weed genomic projects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Resistance in Plants)
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18 pages, 3943 KiB  
Review
Current Status and Future Prospects in Herbicide Discovery
by Franck E. Dayan
Plants 2019, 8(9), 341; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8090341 - 11 Sep 2019
Cited by 162 | Viewed by 17857
Abstract
Herbicides represent about 60% of the pesticides (by volume) used worldwide. The success of herbicides can be attributed in part to a relatively steady discovery of one unique mechanisms of action (MOA) every two years from the early 1950s to the mid-1980s. While [...] Read more.
Herbicides represent about 60% of the pesticides (by volume) used worldwide. The success of herbicides can be attributed in part to a relatively steady discovery of one unique mechanisms of action (MOA) every two years from the early 1950s to the mid-1980s. While this situation changed dramatically after the introduction of glyphosate-resistant crops, evolution of resistance to glyphosate has renewed the agrichemical industry interest in new chemistry interacting with novel target sites. This review analyses recent characterization of new herbicide target sites, the chemical classes developed to inhibit these target sites, and where appropriate the innovative technologies used in these discovery programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Resistance in Plants)
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9 pages, 2279 KiB  
Review
Herbicide Resistance Traits in Maize and Soybean: Current Status and Future Outlook
by Vijay K. Nandula
Plants 2019, 8(9), 337; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8090337 - 9 Sep 2019
Cited by 54 | Viewed by 8324
Abstract
This article reviews, focusing on maize and soybean, previous efforts to develop nontransgenic herbicide-resistant crops (HRCs), currently available transgenic HRC traits and technologies, as well as future chemical weed management options over the horizon. Since the mid twentieth century, herbicides rapidly replaced all [...] Read more.
This article reviews, focusing on maize and soybean, previous efforts to develop nontransgenic herbicide-resistant crops (HRCs), currently available transgenic HRC traits and technologies, as well as future chemical weed management options over the horizon. Since the mid twentieth century, herbicides rapidly replaced all other means of weed management. Overreliance on ‘herbicide-only’ weed control strategies hastened evolution of HR weed species. Glyphosate-resistant (GR) crop technology revolutionized weed management in agronomic crops, but GR weeds, led by Palmer amaranth, severely reduced returns from various cropping systems and affected the bottom line of growers across the world. An additional problem was the lack of commercialization of a new herbicide mode of action since the 1990s. Auxinic HRCs offer a short-term alternative for management of GR Palmer amaranth and other weed species. New HRCs stacked with multiple herbicide resistance traits and at least two new herbicide modes of action expected to be available in the mid-2020s provide new chemical options for weed management in row crops in the next decade. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Resistance in Plants)
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13 pages, 1641 KiB  
Review
Herbicide Resistance Management: Recent Developments and Trends
by Hugh J. Beckie, Michael B. Ashworth and Ken C. Flower
Plants 2019, 8(6), 161; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8060161 - 8 Jun 2019
Cited by 88 | Viewed by 10614
Abstract
This review covers recent developments and trends in herbicide-resistant (HR) weed management in agronomic field crops. In countries where input-intensive agriculture is practiced, these developments and trends over the past decade include renewed efforts by the agrichemical industry in herbicide discovery, cultivation of [...] Read more.
This review covers recent developments and trends in herbicide-resistant (HR) weed management in agronomic field crops. In countries where input-intensive agriculture is practiced, these developments and trends over the past decade include renewed efforts by the agrichemical industry in herbicide discovery, cultivation of crops with combined (stacked) HR traits, increasing reliance on preemergence vs. postemergence herbicides, breeding for weed-competitive crop cultivars, expansion of harvest weed seed control practices, and advances in site-specific or precision weed management. The unifying framework or strategy underlying these developments and trends is mitigation of viable weed seeds into the soil seed bank and maintaining low weed seed banks to minimize population proliferation, evolution of resistance to additional herbicidal sites of action, and spread. A key question going forward is: how much weed control is enough to consistently achieve the goal of low weed seed banks? The vision for future HR weed management programs must be sustained crop production and profitability with reduced herbicide (particularly glyphosate) dependency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herbicide Resistance in Plants)
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