Tolerance of two Bifora radians Bieb populations to ALS inhibitors in winter wheat

BACKGROUND: Bifora radians, an annual weed in winter wheat, is distributed mainly in the Mediterranean area, Asia Minor and the Caucasus. It infests winter-sown crops of the Central Anatolia and Middle Black Sea regions of Turkey. Field experiments in heavily B. radians-infested fields were conducted over 3 years in Samsun, Turkey, to determine the response of B. radians to ALS-inhibiting herbicides, because growers had complained of a decrease in herbicide effect. RESULTS: The efficacy of ALS inhibitors on a putatively tolerant population sprayed annually with ALS inhibitors and an adjacent allegedly sensitive population was estimated at the ED₅₀ and ED₉₀ response levels. The recommended rates of herbicides controlled 90% of the weed (ED₉₀) in the sensitive population at the early stage of B. radians development, but not in the tolerant population. The relative potencies (ED_x(tolerant)/ED_x(sensitive)) of herbicides on the two populations were estimated by assuming years as being random effects. The relative potency was on average about 1.7, irrespective of the ED_x levels. CONCLUSION: Although the relative potencies were not large, they were large enough to be noted by growers. In field experiments it would be important to establish tools demonstrating when farmers recognise loss of herbicide efficacy. There has been no indication of evolution of resistant biotypes so far, but continuous spraying favours biotypes with increased levels of tolerance. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Influence of weather on the efficacy of dichlorprop-P/MCPA and trihenuron-methyl

The influence of weather on the efficacy of dichlorprop-P/MCPA and tribenuron-methyl on annual weeds in spritig barley was studied in the field during 4 years at six locations in southern Sweden. The herbicides were applied at one-eighth to three-quarters of the full dose at three application times with approximately 6-day intervals. Weather stations, placed in the experiments, recorded climatic data, Maximum herbicide efficacy was obtained when spraying 1 week after the cotyledon stage with half or three-quarters of the recommended dose. Dose-response curves were estimated and the ED₈₀ doses were calculated. On average, the herbicide dose required to obtain an effect of 80% was about 40% of the recommended dose. The influence of weather was analysed for seven different periods: 7 and 2 days before and after herbicide application, 1 day before and after application, and the day of herbicide treatment. The most pronounced eftects of weather were found for the day of and the day before herbicide application, revealing the strong influence of weather on herbicide uptake and plant metabolism. High air tetnperature and low global radiation during the day of treattnent reduced the ED₈₀ dose of dichlorprop-P/MCPA, whereas the ED₈₀ dose of tribenuron-methyl increased. For both herbicides, precipitation and high soil temperature increased the ED₈₀ dose, which reflects the importance of rain on herbicide uptake and the effect of soil temperature on plant growth. The R² values were higher in the analyses of dichlorprop-P/MCPA than of tribenuron-methyl, indicating that the effect of dichlorprop-P/MCA was more weather-dependent than that of tribenuron-methyl. Separate analyses of the ED₈₀ doses for Brassica napus L., Chenopodium, album L. and Stellaria media (L.) Vill. generally resulted in increased R² values. but otherwise gave results similar to those for the total weed population. Although the analyses revealed significant effects of indivtdual weather factors on herbicide efficacy, it was not possible to discern a consistent and causal relationship between weather and herbicide performance.     

Effect of herbicides and doses on short- and long-term control of Eleusine tristachya

In Argentina, Eleusine tristachya has been recently reported as a problematic weed that can occur at high densities in spring and summer in fallows and in maize and soyabean. The reason for the increase in E. tristachya populations is that once the weed is established, it is difficult to eliminate because it produces a high number of seeds and plant regrowth occurs after herbicide treatments. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of post-emergence application of herbicides (glyphosate, haloxyfop-methyl and clethodim) at the seedling, vegetative and reproductive stages on the short-term (biomass 30 days after treatment—30 DAT) and long-term (tiller number and height and seed production—regrowth at 330 DAT) control of E. tristachya selected biotypes in outdoor pot experiments. Data fitted to a log-logistic model. For all the herbicides considered, at the seedling and vegetative stages, short-term control was achieved with low ED₅₀ and ED₉₀ values, whereas at the reproductive stage, ED₉₀ values were three- to sixfold (glyphosate), six- to 52-fold (haloxyfop-methyl) and five- to 13-fold (clethodim) higher. Long-term control at the recommended dose or lower was not possible at the reproductive stage as tiller regrowth and seed production occurred with all herbicides. It is advisable to control Eleusine tristachya when plants are small at the beginning of the growing season using the recommended herbicide dose. A delayed application will produce tiller regeneration the following year, and consequently, control would only be achieved applying an overdose, which can cause risks to health and the environment. We concluded that a management programme based on the combination of glyphosate with post-emergence graminicides applied at early stages will be effective to control future infestations.     

Intraregional and inter‐regional variability of herbicide sensitivity in common arable weed populations

The question on intraregional versus inter‐regional variability in herbicide sensitivity for weed populations is of major importance, both in extrapolation of model parameters and in herbicide zonal approval procedures. We hypothesised that inter‐regional variability in herbicide sensitivity for field populations would be the same as intraregional variability for regions with similar climatic conditions. Seeds of field weed populations were collected in a Danish, German and Polish region. Herbicide sensitivity was tested in dose–response experiments in the glasshouse with flufenacet and iodosulfuron (Apera spica‐venti), florasulam and tribenuron (Tripleurospermum inodorum), diflufenican, diflufenican + flurtamone and pendimethalin (Viola arvensis). ED₅₀ values and variance components of the ED₅₀ values were estimated to describe the influence of region, year and population. The regions accounted for a maximum of 26% of the variance and always less than the variance accounted for by individual populations. Sensitivity indices (SI₅₀) were calculated as the ratio between ED₅₀ of the test population and a reference population. There was considerable intraregional variability in SI₅₀ values and SI₅₀ values from a single region did not consistently differ from other regions. The large intraregional variability in herbicide sensitivity between populations, with no evidence of resistance, is of interest both for zonal evaluation of herbicides and resistance research. For practical weed management, we conclude that dose–response functions can be transferred between the study regions, for example for the common use in decision support systems with proper insurance for the control of less sensitive populations.     

Resistance levels of sulfonylurea‐resistant Schoenoplectus juncoides (Roxb.) Palla with various Pro197 mutations in acetolactate synthase to imazosulfuron,bensulfuron‐methyl,metsulfuron‐methyl and imazaquin‐ammonium

An investigation, using herbicidal pot tests in a greenhouse condition, was conducted to determine the whole‐plant dose–response relationships to several acetolactate synthase (ALS)‐inhibiting herbicides of sulfonylurea (SU)‐resistant Schoenoplectus juncoides with various Pro₁₉₇ mutations in ALS that was collected from Japanese rice paddy fields. All the tested SU‐resistant accessions with a Pro₁₉₇ mutation were highly resistant to two commonly used SU herbicides (imazosulfuron and bensulfuron‐methyl), but were much less resistant to another SU herbicide, metsulfuron‐methyl, and were substantially not resistant to imazaquin‐ammonium. These cross‐resistance patterns have been known previously in fragments of S. juncoides and other weed species and were comprehensively confirmed in this study with a whole set of Pro₁₉₇ mutations. The analyses of resistance levels, based on ED₉₀ values, newly showed that different accessions with a common amino acid substitution in ALS1 showed similar responses to these herbicides (confirmed with four amino acid substitutions), that the rankings of resistance levels that were conferred by various Pro₁₉₇ mutations in ALS1 differed among the SU herbicides and that the resistance levels of the ALS2‐mutated accessions were higher than, lower than or similar to those of the corresponding ALS1‐mutated accessions, depending on the compared pair, but the deviation patterns were generally similar among the SU herbicides in each compared pair. The final finding might suggest that the abundance of ALS2 is not as stable as that of ALS1. In addition, as a result of these new findings, together with expected further research, a suggested possibility is that substituting amino acids at Pro₁₉₇ generally could be estimated by plotting each accession's ED₉₀ values of imazosulfuron and bensulfuron‐methyl in a two‐dimensional graph.     

Sensor‐based assessment of herbicide effects

Non‐destructive assessment of herbicide effects may be able to support integrated weed management. To test whether effects of herbicides on canopy variables could be detected by sensors, two crops were used as models and treated with herbicides at BBCH 20 using a logarithmic sprayer. Twelve days after spraying at BBCH 25 and 42 days after sowing, nine sensor systems scanned a spring barley and an oilseed rape field experiment sown at different densities and sprayed with increasing field rates of glyphosate and tribenuron‐methyl. The objective was to compare ED₅₀s for crops and weeds derived by the different sensors in relation to crop density and herbicides. Although sensors were not directly developed to detect herbicide symptoms, they all detected changes in canopy colours or height and crop density. Generally ED₅₀s showed the same pattern in response to crop density within herbicide, but there were marked differences between barley and oilseed rape. We suggest that the results of comparing the various sensor outputs could become a stepping stone to future standardisation for the benefit of the research and development of sensors that will detect herbicide effect on crops and weeds, particularly at the most vulnerable stages of development of the canopy.     

Response of Brassica napus in tissue culture to metsulfuron-methyl and chlorsulfuron

A herbicide bioassay based on tissue cultures of Brassica napus L. was evaluated with selected sulfonylurea herbicides. Data were analysed by fitting the results to a log-logistic dose–response model. Within an experiment, the non-linear regression models were fitted simultaneously to the individual dose–response curves. The results obtained showed good response to even low concentrations of herbicide, with detection limits in the range 0.008–0.69 nmol L^?1 for chlorsulfuron and 0.02–0.13 nmol L^?1 for metsulfuron. The reproducibility of the assays, on the basis of coefficient of variation of the ED₅₀ values, was found to be 44% for chlorsulfuron and 48% for metsulfuron measurements. Assay of herbicide dissolved in aqueous soil extract showed significant interference from this matrix on the response, requiring a five times dilution of the extract to overcome this matrix effect.     

Characterisation of a triazine-resistant biotype of Bromus tectorum found in Spain

A population of Bromus tectorum infesting an olive grove at Córdoba (Spain) survived simazine use rates of 3.0 kg a.i. ha⁻¹ over two consecutive years. Non‐tillage olive monoculture and two annual simazine applications had been carried out for 10 years. The resistant biotype showed a higher ED₅₀ value (7.3 kg a.i. ha⁻¹) than that of the susceptible control (0.1 kg a.i. ha⁻¹), a 73‐fold increase in herbicide tolerance. The use of fluorescence, Hill reaction, absorption, translocation and metabolism assays showed that simazine resistance in this biotype was caused by a modification of the herbicide target site, since chloroplasts from the resistant biotype of B. tectorum were more than 300 times less sensitive to simazine than those from the susceptible biotype. In addition, non‐treated resistant plants of B. tectorum displayed a significant reduction in the Q_A to Q_B electron transfer rate when compared with the susceptible biotype, a characteristic that has been linked to several mutations in the protein D1 conferring resistance to PS II inhibiting herbicides. Resistant plants showed cross‐resistance to other groups of triazine herbicides with the hierarchy of resistance level being methoxy‐s‐triazines ≥chloro‐s‐triazines > methylthio‐s‐triazines > cis‐triazines. The results indicate a naturally occurring target‐site point mutation is responsible for conferring resistance to triazine herbicides. This represents the first documented report of target site triazine resistance in this downy brome biotype.     

Residualwirkung von Chlortriazin-Herbiziden im Boden an drei rumänischen Standorten. II. Prognose möglicher Folgekulturen bei Atrazinrükständen im Boden

Residual effects of chlorotriazine herbicides in soil at three Rumanian sites. II. Prediction of the phytotoxicity of atrazine residues to following crops Total and plant-available atrazine residues in the top 10 cm soil were measured 120 days after application of 3 kg ai ha^?1 to maize (Zea mays L.) at three sites in Rumania. At one site, similar measurements were made 3?5 years after application of 100 kg ai ha^?1. Plant-available atrazine residues were estimated by extraction of soil samples with water, and by bioassay using Brassica rapa as the test plant. It was calculated that between 30 and 120μg atrazine 1^?1 was potentially available to plants in the different soils. Dose-response relationships for atrazine and the most important rotational crops with maize in Rumania—sunflower, winter wheat, soybean and flax—were determined in hydroponic culture using herbicide concentrations corresponding with the plant-available fractions measured in the different soils. ED₅₀ values were determined by probit analysis and the results showed that sunflower (ED₅₀, 22μg 1^?1) was the most sensitive crop, and soybean (ED₅₀, 78μg 1^?1) was the least. The residual phytotoxicity of atrazine to succeeding crops in the different soils was predicted using the appropriate availability and phytotoxicity data, and the results showed good agreement with those observed. The results suggest that measurements of plant-available herbicide residues afford a rapid method of assessing possible phytotoxicity to following crops.     

Collaborative studies of dose-response curves obtained with different bioassay methods for soil-applied herbicides

In a collaborative study by 12 laboratories the reproducibility of bioassay techniques was analysed by comparison and statistical treatment of the ED₅₀-values (μg herbicide/g soil). Commonlyused bioassay techniques were investigated; two direct seeding methods, a transplanting method and a shoot extension method. The herbicides studied were two photosynthesis inhibitors, atrazine and metribuzin using Lepidium sativum and Brassica rapa as test plants; two germination inhibitors, tri-allate and trifluralin using Avena sativa as test plant. The mean ED₅₀-value of atrazine in the direct seeding method was 0.18 with a variation from 0.12 to 0.29 and 0.12 (0.07–0.68) in the transplanting method. The values of metribuzin were 0.05 (0.02–0.11) and 0.03 (0.01–0.15) respectively. The values for triallate were 1.15 (0.50–2.60) in the direct seeding method and 1.10 (0.54–2.53) in the shoot extension method and for trifluralin 3.11 (0.72–18.31) and 1.33 (0.48–2.94) respectively. The reproducibility was best in the shoot extension method. No outliers (confidence intervals lying entirely outside the confidence interval of the overall mean) in the ED₅₀-values were observed with atrazine and metribuzin when using the direct seeding method, whereas with the germination inhibitors a high number of results (four with tri-allate, six with trifluralin) could be considered as outliers. A comparison of the use of fresh weight and dry matter showed good agreement between the ED₅₀-values they gave, with similar reproducibility.     

Dinitroaniline Herbicide Cross-Resistance in Resistant Setaria italica Lines Selected from Interspecific Cross with S. viridis

Breeding of herbicide-resistant foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) Beauv.) is desirable in modern agriculture because no selective herbicide is available for this crop. Trifluralin-resistant millet lines obtained from a interspecific cross between a resistant green foxtail (Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv.) and a foxtail millet cultivar were tested for response to five dinitroaniline herbicides in greenhouse and field experiments. The results in the greenhouse study showed that the resistant type was cross-resistant to all tested herbicides. ED₅₀ values indicated that the highest resistance was obtained with trifluralin, the resistant biotype being seven and 33 times more resistant than the parent cultivar at the emergence and seedling stages, respectively. However, the doses recommended for efficient weed control resulted in some detrimental effects on emergence and growth in the field. Strategies for use of this resistance to control weeds in millet fields are proposed. © 1997 SCI.     

Mechanism of resistance to bensulfuron-methyl in Alisma plantago-aquatica biotypes from Portuguese rice paddy fields

Two Alisma plantago‐aquatica biotypes resistant to bensulfuron‐methyl were detected in rice paddy fields in Portugal’s Mondego (biotype T) and Tagus and Sorraia (biotype Q) River valleys. The fields had been treated with bensulfuron‐methyl‐based herbicide mixtures for 4–6 years. In order to characterize the resistant (R) biotypes, dose–response experiments, absorption and translocation assays, metabolism studies and acetolactate synthase (ALS) activity assays were performed. There were marked differences between R and susceptible (S) biotypes, with a resistance index (ED₅₀R/S) of 500 and 6.25 for biotypes Q and T respectively. Cross‐resistance to azimsulfuron, cinosulfuron and ethoxysulfuron, but not to metsulfuron‐methyl, imazethapyr, bentazone, propanil and MCPA was demonstrated. No differences in the absorption and translocation of ¹⁴C‐bensulfuron‐methyl were found between the biotypes studied. Maximum absorption attained 1.12, 2.02 and 2.56 nmol g⁻¹ dry weight after 96 h incubation with herbicide, for S, Q and T biotypes respectively. Most of the radioactivity taken up by the roots was translocated to shoots. Bensulfuron‐methyl metabolism in shoots was similar in all biotypes. The R biotypes displayed a higher level of ALS activity than the S biotype, both in the presence and absence of herbicide and the resistance indices (IC₅₀R/S) were 20 197 and 10 for biotypes Q and T respectively. These data confirm for the first time that resistance to bensulfuron‐methyl in A. plantago‐aquatica is target‐site‐based. In practice, to control target site R biotypes, it would be preferable to use mixtures of ALS inhibitors with herbicides with other modes of action.     

Leaf chlorophyll fluorescence discriminates herbicide resistance in Echinochloa species

Timely detection of herbicide resistance at an early stage of crop cultivation is essential to help farmers find alternative solutions to manage herbicide resistance in their fields. In this study, maximum quantum yield of PS II [F_v/F_m = (F_m – F_o)/F_m] was measured at the 4–5 leaf stage to discriminate between herbicide‐resistant and susceptible biotypes of Echinochloa species. The differences in F_v/F_m between herbicide‐resistant and susceptible Echinochloa spp. were consistent with the whole‐plant assay based on I₅₀ (herbicide doses causing a 50% inhibition of F_v/F_m) and GR₅₀ (herbicide doses causing a 50% reduction in plant fresh weight) values and R/S ratios (herbicide resistance index), regardless of the mode of action of the tested herbicides. A PS II inhibitor caused the fastest inhibition of F_v/F_m, compared with ACCase and ALS inhibitors, after herbicide treatment. The required time for discrimination between herbicide‐resistant and susceptible Echinochloa spp. was 64 h after PS II inhibitor treatment, much shorter than those of ACCase and ALS inhibitor‐treated plants, which required 168 and 192 h respectively. The leaf chlorophyll fluorescence assay provided reliable diagnostics of herbicide resistance in Echinochloa spp. with significant time savings and convenient measurement in field conditions compared with the conventional whole‐plant assay.     

An evaluation of sand-culture techniques for studying the tolerance of fruit crops to soil-acting herbicides

Sand-culture techniques for determining the tolerance of fruit crops to herbicides applied to the roots were investigated. Of the methods examined, a single application to pots with a closed drainage system was the most useful provided they were protected from rain. A semi-automatic system for applying herbicides was developed for use where repeated treatment was required. Visual scoring of plant condition was the most informative method of assessing response and was reliable. Results correlated well with weight measurements of leaves, shoots or whole plants. For each herbicide ED50 values were derived from dose-response curves and used to express relative tolerance. The slopes of these curves provided an indication of the rate of change of response with dose. The relative tolerance of a range of fruit crops to simazine corresponded to known relative tolerance in field conditions in the U.K. It is concluded that sand-culture techniques can be used as a preliminary screen to find new soil-acting herbicides for perennial crops and to detect differences in tolerance between cultivars. They also enable the direct influence of plant and seasonal factors on response to root-applied herbicides to be studied. Large numbers of treatments can be tested in a small area with the certainty of obtaining positive results. Evaluation des techniques de culture sur sable pour l'étude de la résistance des cultures fruitières aux herbicides agissant par le sol Les auteurs ont étudiè les techniques de culture sur sable pour déterminer la résistance des cultures fruitiéres aux herbicides racinaires, Parmi les méthiodes examinées, celle comportant une seule application, avec un systéme clos de drainage, s'est révélée la plus pratique, à condition qu'elle comporte une protection contre la pluie. Un systéme semi-automatique pour l'application des herbicides a été mis au point pour les cas où des traitements répétés sont nécessaires. L'observation visuelle du comportement de la plante s'est montreée la méthode la plus instructive pour apprécier les réactions; c'est aussi une méthode súre. Les résultats ont montré une bonne concordance avec les mesures pondérales des feuilles, des pousses, ou des plantes entiéres. Pour chaque herbicide, les valeurs de la E.D. 50 ont ét? déduites des courbes de réaction en fonction de la dose et utilisées pour exprimer la résistance relative. La pente de ces courbes a fourni une indication sur le taux de modification de la réaction en fonction de la dose. La résistance relative d'une série de cultures fruitiéres ? la simazine a correspondu ? la résistance relative constatée au champ dans les conditions du Royaume-Uni. Il en est conclu que les techniques de culture sur sable peuvent être utilisées comme tests de sélection primaire pour découvrir de nouveaux herbicides agissant par le sol pour le désherbage des cultures pérennes, ainsi que pour déceler les différences de résistance entre cultivars. Ces techniques rendent ègalement possible l'étude de l'influence directe de la plante et des facteurs saisonniers sur les réactions aux herbicides racinaires. De nombreux traitments peuvent ètre étudiés sur une surface réduite avec la certitude d'obtenir des résultats positifs. Beurteilung von Sandkulture-Techniken für die Untersuchung von Obstgewächsen aufihre Toleranz gegenüber Bodenherbiziden Es wurden Sandkultur-Techniken zur Bestimmung der Toleranz von Obstgewächsen gegenüber bodenapplizierten Herbiziden geprüft. Von den geprüften Methoden war die einmalige Herbizidgabe zu Gefässen mit einem geschlossenen Drainage-system das brauchbarste Verfahren, unter der Voraussetzung. daß die Gefässe vor Regen geschützt waren. Für die Fälle, in denen eine mehrmalige Herbizidapplikation zu erfolgen hat, wurde ein halbautomatisches System entwickelt. Das informativste und zuverlässigste Auswertungsverfahren war die visuelle Bonitur. Die Ergebnisse waren mit Messungen des Gewichts, der Blätter, Sprosse oder der ganzen Pflanzen gut korreliert. Für jedes Herbizid wurden mit Hilfe von Dosis-Wirkungskurven ED₅₀-Werte ermittelt und als Maß der relativen Toleranz benutzt. Die Steigung der Dosis-Wirkungskurven ermöglichten es. die Abhängigkeit von Aufwandmenge und Reaktion zu erfassen. Bei einer Reihe von Obstgewächsen entsprach die relative Toleranz den Werten. die in Großbritannien unter Feld-bedingungen ermittelt wurden. Die Ergebnisse lassen den Schluss zu, dass Sandkultur-Techniken als erster Schritt bei der Suche nach neuen Bodenherbiziden in mehrjährigen Kulturen verwendet werden können, womit auch Toleranzunterschiede zwischen Sorten erfasst werden können. Derartige Verfahren ermöglichen es auch, den Einfluss von Pflanzen und Klimafaktoren auf die herbizidwirkung zu studieren. Mit diesen Techniken können auf kleiner Fläche brauchbare Ergebnisse erzielt werden.     

Resistance of barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) to atrazine and quinclorac

Two populations of Echinochloa crus-galli (R and I) exhibited resistance to quinclorac. Another population (X) exhibited resistance to quinclorac and atrazine. The R and I populations were collected from monocultures of rice in southern Spain. The X population was collected from maize fields subjected to the application of atrazine over several years. The susceptible (S) population of the same genus was collected from locations which had never been treated with herbicides. The quinclorac ED₅₀ value (dose causing 50% reduction in shoot fresh weight) for the R and I biotypes were 26- and 6-fold greater than for the S biotype. The X biotype was 10 times more tolerant to quinclorac than the S biotype and also showed cross-resistance to atrazine, being 82-fold more resistant to atrazine than the R, I and S biotypes. Chlorophyll fluorescence and Hill reaction analysis supported the view that the mechanism of resistance to atrazine in the X biotype was modification of the target site, the DI protein. Quinclorac at 20 mg litre^-1 did not inhibit photosynthetic electron transport in any of the test biotypes. The quinclorac I₅₀ values (herbicide dose needed for 50% Hill reaction reduction) of the S population was over 50000-fold higher than the atrazine I₅₀ value for the same S population, indicating that quinclorac is not a PS II inhibiting herbicide. Propanil at doses greater than 0·5 kg ha^-1 controlled all the biotypes. © 1997 SCI     

Response of Arabidopsis thaliana to 22 ALS inhibitors: baseline toxicity and cross-resistance of csr1-1 and csr1-2 resistant mutants

The baseline toxicity of 22 acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides and the cross-resistance patterns of chlorsulfuron- and imazapyr-resistant (R) lines on these 22 ALS-inhibiting herbicides were investigated using the model species Arabidopsis thaliana. The 22 herbicides consisted of 18 sulfonylureas (SU), three imidazolinones (IMI) and one triazolopyrimidine (TP). The ED₅₀ values (doses of herbicides required to reduce dry matter by 50%) of the post-emergence-treated Col and Ler susceptible (S) lines ranged from 22 to 4822 mg ha⁻¹ and from 17 to 3143 mg ha⁻¹ respectively. The csr1-1 chlorsulfuron-resistant line (substitution of Pro₁₉₇ to Ser) conferred a high resistance to the only TP tested as well as to nine SU herbicides (R:S ratio ≥30), a low resistance to two SU herbicides (R:S≥5 and <30) and little or no resistance to the three IMI and seven other SU herbicides (R:S <5). This result contradicts the expectation that an ALS mutation selected by an SU herbicide confers high cross-resistance to other SU herbicides. We found that the efficacy of specific ALS inhibitors was different for different species and therefore could not be predicted from our results with A. thaliana; however, the cross-resistance patterns in A. thaliana were highly correlated with cross-resistance patterns in unrelated species with the same resistance mutation. These results have implications for resistance management.     

Activities of mixtures of soil-applied herbicides with different molecular targets

The joint action of soil-applied herbicide mixtures with similar or different modes of action has been assessed by using the additive dose model (ADM). The herbicides chlorsulfuron, metsulfuron-methyl, pendimethalin and pretilachlor, applied either singly or in binary mixtures, were used on rice (Oryza sativa L.). The growth (shoot) response curves were described by a logistic dose-response model. The ED50 values and their corresponding standard errors obtained from the response curves were used to test statistically if the shape of the isoboles differed from the reference model (ADM). Results showed that mixtures of herbicides with similar molecular targets, i.e. chlorsulfuron and metsulfuron (acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors), and with different molecular targets, i.e. pendimethalin (microtubule assembly inhibitor) and pretilachlor (very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) inhibitor), followed the ADM. Mixing herbicides with different molecular targets gave different results depending on whether pretilachlor or pendimethalin was involved. In general, mixtures of pretilachlor and sulfonylureas showed synergistic interactions, whereas mixtures of pendimethalin and sulfonylureas exhibited either antagonistic or additive activities. Hence, there is a large potential for both increasing the specificity of herbicides by using mixtures and lowering the total dose for weed control, while at the same time delaying the development of herbicide resistance by using mixtures with different molecular targets.     

Tolerance to acetolactate synthase and acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase inhibiting herbicides in Vulpia bromoides is conferred by two co-existing resistance mechanisms

Vulpia bromoides is a grass species naturally tolerant to acetolactate synthase (ALS) and acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase) inhibiting herbicides. The mechanism of tolerance to ALS herbicides was determined as cytochrome P450-monooxygenase mediated metabolic detoxification. The ALS enzyme extract partially purified from V. bromoides shoot tissue was found to be as sensitive as that of herbicide susceptible Lolium rigidum to ALS-inhibiting sulfonylurea (SU), triazolopyrimidine (TP), and imidazolinone (IM) herbicides. Furthermore, phytotoxicity of the wheat-selective SU herbicide chlorsulfuron was significantly enhanced in vivo in the presence of the known P450 inhibitor malathion. In contract, the biochemical basis of tolerance to ACCase inhibiting herbicides was established as an insensitive ACCase. In vitro ACCase inhibition assays showed that, compared to a herbicide susceptible L. rigidum, the V. bromoides ACCase was moderately (4.5- to 9.5-fold) insensitive to the aryloxyphenoxypropionate (APP) herbicides diclofop, fluazifop, and haloxyfop and highly insensitive (20- to >71-fold) to the cyclohexanedione (CHD) herbicides sethoxydim and tralkoxydim. No differential absorption or de-esterification of fluazifop-P-butyl was observed between the two species at 48 h after herbicide application, and furthermore V. bromoides did not detoxify fluazifop acid as rapidly as susceptible L. rigidum. It is concluded that two co-existing resistance mechanisms, i.e., an enhanced metabolism of ALS herbicides and an insensitive target ACCase, endow natural tolerance to ALS and ACCase inhibiting herbicides in V. bromoides.     

Leaf tissue pigments and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters vary among sweet corn genotypes of differential herbicide sensitivity

Herbicide applications are meant to eliminate weed competition; however, herbicides may also impose abiotic stress on registered crops. Leaf tissue carotenoid pigments play vital roles in the photoprotection of photosynthetic membranes and contribute to non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of excitation energy, both important to plant environmental stress tolerance. Our research objectives were to characterize leaf tissue pigments and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters following post-emergence herbicide applications (simulating an abiotic stress) to sweet corn (Zea mays var. rugosa) genotypes of differential herbicide sensitivities. Post-emergence herbicide applications of combinations of mesotrione (105 g ai/ha) and atrazine (560 g ai/ha) were applied to ‘Merit’ (sensitive), ‘Temptation’ (tolerant), and ‘Incredible’ (moderately sensitive) sweet corn genotypes. Leaf tissues were sampled after herbicide applications and measured for chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, and the same tissues were analyzed for carotenoid and chlorophyll pigments. Leaf pigments and chlorophyll fluorescence were not affected by any herbicide treatment; however, data revealed significant differences between genotypes for leaf tissue antheraxanthin, β-carotene, zeaxanthin, chlorophyll a/b ratios, and for values of F_o, F_m, F_v, and NPQ, with ‘Merit’ leaf tissue having higher values than the other two genotypes evaluated. Results demonstrate that genotypic sensitivities to certain post-emergence herbicides may be related to concentrations of photo-protective carotenoids in sweet corn leaf tissues.