Contamination of internationally traded wheat by herbicide‐resistant Lolium rigidum

As herbicide‐resistant weeds have spread in the agricultural fields of grain‐exporting countries, their seeds could be introduced into other countries as contaminants in imported grain. The spread of resistance genes through seed and pollen can cause significant economic loss. In order to assess the extent of the problem, we investigated the contamination by herbicide‐resistant annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) of wheat imported from Western Australia into Japan. Annual ryegrass seeds were recovered from wheat shipments and seed bioassays were conducted to identify resistance to the herbicides that are commonly used in Australia: diclofop‐methyl, sethoxydim, chlorsulfuron, and glyphosate. Nearly 4500 ryegrass seeds were detected in 20 kg of wheat that was imported in both 2006 and 2007. About 35% and 15% of the seeds were resistant to diclofop‐methyl, 5% and 6% were resistant to sethoxydim, and 56% and 60% were resistant to chlorsulfuron in 2006 and 2007, respectively. None was resistant to glyphosate in either year. As the contamination of crops by herbicide‐resistant weeds is probably a common phenomenon, the monitoring of incoming grain shipments is necessary to stem the further spread of herbicide‐resistant weeds into importing countries.     

Modelling binary mixtures of herbicides in populations resistant to one of the components: evaluation for resistance management

BACKGROUND: Herbicide mixtures are commonly proposed to delay the selection of herbicide resistance in susceptible populations (called the SM strategy). However, in practice, herbicide mixtures are often used when resistance to one of the two active ingredients has already been detected in the targeted population (called the RM strategy). It is doubtful whether such a practice can select against resistance, as the corresponding selection pressure is still exerted. As a consequence, the effect of mixtures on the evolution of an already detected resistance to one of the herbicides in the combination remains largely unexplored. In the present work, a simple model was developed to explore further the necessary and sufficient conditions under which a binary RM strategy might stabilise or even reduce resistance frequency. RESULTS: Covering the hypothetical largest range of parameters, 39% of 9000 random simulations attest that the RM strategy might theoretically reduce resistance frequency. When strong enough, high genetic cost of resistance, negative cross‐resistance between the herbicides associated in the mixture and reduced selection differential between resistant and susceptible plants can counterbalance the resistance advantage to one of the two applied herbicides. However, the required conditions for an RM strategy to ensure resistance containment in natural conditions seldom overlap with experimental parameter estimates given in the literature. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the sufficient conditions for an RM strategy to be effective would rarely be encountered. As a consequence, the strategy of formulating mixtures with herbicides for which resistance has already been detected should be avoided. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Evolving understanding of the evolution of herbicide resistance

A greater number of, and more varied, modes of resistance have evolved in weeds than in other pests because the usage of herbicides is far more extensive than the usage of other pesticides, and because weed seed output is so great. The discovery and development of selective herbicides are more problematic than those of insecticides and fungicides, as these must only differentiate between plant and insect or pathogen. Herbicides are typically selective between plants, meaning that before deployment there are already some crops possessing natural herbicide resistance that weeds could evolve. The concepts of the evolution of resistance and the mechanisms of delaying resistance have evolved as nature has continually evolved new types of resistance. Major gene target‐site mutations were the first types to evolve, with initial consideration devoted mainly to them, but slowly ‘creeping’ resistance, gradually accruing increasing levels of resistance, has become a major force owing to an incremental accumulation of genetic changes in weed populations. Weeds have evolved mechanisms unknown even in antibiotic as well as other drug and pesticide resistances. It is even possible that cases of epigenetic ‘remembered’ resistances may have appeared. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

New, quick tests for herbicide resistance in black-grass (Alopecurus myosuroides Huds) based on increased glutathione S-transferase activity and abundance

Black-grass (Alopecurus myosuroides Huds) is a major grass weed in winter cereals in Europe. It reduces yields and can act as a secondary host for a range of diseases. Herbicide resistance in this species was first detected in the UK in the early 1980s, and has now been reported in thirty counties. To successfully manage herbicide resistance it is vital that suspect populations are tested so that appropriate action can be taken. Ideally, a test will be quick, cheap and easy to use. Furthermore, it should provide an unequivocal result before post-emergence herbicides are to be applied, allowing alternative strategies to be adopted where necessary. This paper reports the development of new tests for herbicide resistance based on our observation that the resistant black-grass biotype Peldon contains approximately double the activity of the enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST) compared with susceptible biotypes. Data are presented on the production of a monoclonal antiserum to a novel 30 kDa GST polypeptide purified from the biotype Peldon. An ELISA using this antiserum is described and the utility of this assay to detect resistant black-grass biotypes in plants grown under glass and in the field is presented. In addition, a microtitre assay for GST activity is described, which allows the rapid assessment of GST activities of plants. Both abundance and activity of GSTs are discussed as markers for herbicide resistance in black-grass.     

Cytochrome P450‐mediated herbicide metabolism in plants: current understanding and prospects

Cytochrome P450s (P450s) have been at the center of herbicide metabolism research as a result of their ability to endow selectivity in crops and resistance in weeds. In the last 20 years, ≈30 P450s from diverse plant species have been revealed to possess herbicide‐metabolizing function, some of which were demonstrated to play a key role in plant herbicide sensitivity. Recent research even demonstrated that some P450s from crops and weeds metabolize numerous herbicides from various chemical backbones, which highlights the importance of P450s in the current agricultural systems. However, due to the enormous number of plant P450s and the complexity of their function, expression and regulation, it remains a challenge to fully explore the potential of P450‐mediated herbicide metabolism in crop improvement and herbicide resistance mitigation. Differences in the substrate specificity of each herbicide‐metabolizing P450 are now evident. Comparisons of the substrate specificity and protein structures of P450s will be beneficial for the discovery of selective herbicides and may lead to the development of crops with higher herbicide tolerance by transgenics or genome‐editing technologies. Furthermore, the knowledge will help design sound management strategies for weed resistance including the prediction of cross‐resistance patterns. Overcoming the ambiguity of P450 function in plant xenobiotic pathways will unlock the full potential of this enzyme family in advancing global agriculture and food security. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry     

Interpopulation variability and adaptive potential for reduced glyphosate sensitivity in Alopecurus myosuroides

Glyphosate use in the United Kingdom has more than doubled in the last 20 years. Much of this increase is driven by efforts to control herbicide resistant weeds, particularly Alopecurus myosuroides, prior to crop drilling. There is precedent for evolution of glyphosate resistance in similar situations, raising concerns over the sustainability of glyphosate use in the UK. We used dose–response experiments to examine variation in glyphosate sensitivity amongst 40 field‐collected A. myosuroides populations. No populations were resistant to glyphosate, but ED₉₀ values ranged between 354 and 610 g a.i. ha^?1. Five populations had ED₉₀ values significantly higher than the unexposed control population collected from a site at Rothamsted Research with no previous glyphosate exposure. Recurrent selection experiments were performed to determine whether variation in glyphosate sensitivity had a heritable basis. Following two rounds of selection, five of six field populations evolved significantly reduced sensitivity to glyphosate, with R/S ratios, based on estimated ED₅₀ values, ranging from 1.2 to 1.5. These results confirm that there is a heritable basis to variation in glyphosate sensitivity. The response to selection was modest. Evolved populations were not highly resistant to glyphosate, although some twice‐selected individuals survived recommended field rates. These results do not represent definitive proof of the potential of A. myosuroides to evolve glyphosate resistance, although they do indicate caution is needed when considering the sustainability of increased glyphosate use to control this herbicide resistance‐prone species.     

Resistance to HPPD-inhibiting herbicides in a population of waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) from Illinois, United States

BACKGROUND: A population of waterhemp in a seed maize production field in central Illinois, United States, was not adequately controlled after post‐emergence applications of herbicides that inhibit 4‐hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD). RESULTS: Progeny from the field population survived following treatment with mesotrione, tembotrione or topramezone applied to the foliage either alone or in combination with atrazine in greenhouse experiments. Dose–response experiments indicated that the level of resistance to the HPPD inhibitor mesotrione is at least tenfold relative to sensitive biotypes. CONCLUSION: These studies confirm that waterhemp has evolved resistance to HPPD‐inhibiting herbicides. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Glyphosate-resistant Lolium multiflorum in Chilean orchards

Summary Lolium multiflorum (Italian ryegrass) seeds suspected of being resistant to glyphosate were collected from fruit orchards at two locations, San Bernardo (SB) and Olivar (OL), Chile, that had been treated an average of three times per year with the isopropylamine salt of glyphosate during the previous 8–10 years. Laboratory experiments were conducted for each orchard population and a susceptible population, a commercial cultivar called Tama (TM), using Petri dishes containing filter paper saturated with 5 mL of glyphosate solution (0–160 mg a.e. L⁻¹) . Pot dose–response experiments were also conducted in the greenhouse. The three L. multiflorum populations were treated with glyphosate (0.00–4.32 kg a.e. ha⁻¹). The dose needed to reduce shoot length (Petri dish experiment) and fresh weight (pot dose–response experiment) by 50% was determined for each population. Compared with the TM population, the Petri dish experiment found that the SB and OL populations were five- and sixfold, respectively, more resistant to glyphosate, whereas the pot dose–response experiment found that the SB and OL populations were two- and fourfold, respectively, more resistant to glyphosate. These results confirm a new case of glyphosate resistance in a novel species, L. multiflorum , and correspond to the first case of glyphosate resistance reported from South America.     

Multiple resistance across glufosinate,glyphosate, paraquat and ACCase‐inhibiting herbicides in an Eleusine indica population

An Eleusine indica population was previously reported as the first global case of field‐evolved glufosinate resistance. This study re‐examines glufosinate resistance and investigates multiple resistance to other herbicides in the population. Dose–response experiments with glufosinate showed that the resistant population is 5‐fold and 14‐fold resistant relative to the susceptible population, based on GR₅₀ and LD₅₀ R/S ratio respectively. The selected glufosinate‐resistant subpopulation also displayed a high‐level resistance to glyphosate, with the respective GR₅₀ and LD₅₀ R/S ratios being 12‐ and 144‐fold. In addition, the subpopulation also displayed a level of resistance to paraquat and ACCase‐inhibiting herbicides fluazifop‐P‐butyl, haloxyfop‐P‐methyl and butroxydim. ACCase gene sequencing revealed that the Trp‐2027‐Cys mutation is likely responsible for resistance to the ACCase inhibitors examined. Here, we confirm glufosinate resistance and importantly, we find very high‐level glyphosate resistance, as well as resistance to paraquat and ACCase‐inhibiting herbicides. This is the first confirmed report of a weed species that evolved multiple resistance across all the three non‐selective global herbicides, glufosinate, glyphosate and paraquat.     

Isolation and expression of genes for acetolactate synthase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase in Echinochloa phyllopogon, a polyploid weed species

BACKGROUND: Target‐site resistance is the major cause of herbicide resistance to acetolactate synthase (ALS)‐ and acetyl‐CoA carboxylase (ACCase)‐inhibiting herbicides in arable weeds, whereas non‐target‐site resistance is rarely reported. In the Echinochloa phyllopogon biotypes resistant to these herbicides, target‐site resistance has not been reported, and non‐target‐site resistance is assumed to be the basis for resistance. To explore why target‐site resistance had not occurred, the target‐site genes for these herbicides were isolated from E. phyllopogon, and their expression levels in a resistant biotype were determined. RESULTS: Two complete ALS genes and the carboxyltransferase domain of four ACCase genes were isolated. The expression levels of ALS and ACCase genes were higher in organs containing metabolically active meristems, except for ACC4, which was not expressed in any organ. The differential expression among examined organs was more prominent for ALS2 and ACC2 and less evident for ALS1, ACC1 and ACC3. CONCLUSION: E. phyllopogon has multiple copies of the ALS and ACCase genes, and different expression patterns were observed among the copies. The existence of three active ACCase genes and the difference in their relative expression levels could influence the occurrence of target‐site resistance to ACCase inhibitors in E. phyllopogon. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Herbicides – a two‐edged sword*

Summary Weeds cause yield losses and reductions in crop quality. Prior to the introduction of selective herbicides, the drudgery of manual weeding forced farmers to adhere to a suit of weed management tactics by carefully combining crop rotation, appropriate tillage and fallow systems. The introduction of selective herbicides in the late 1940s and the constant flow of new herbicides in the succeeding decades provided farmers with a new tool, ‘the chemical hoe’, putting them in a position to consider weed control more independently of the crop production system than hitherto. The reliance on herbicides for weed control, however, resulted in shifts in the weed flora and the selection of herbicide‐resistant biotypes. In the 1980s, the public concern about side‐effects of herbicides on the environment and human health resulted in increasingly strict registration requirements and, in some countries, political initiatives to reduce the use of pesticides were launched. Today, the number of new herbicides being introduced has decreased significantly and integrated weed management has become the guiding concept. Farmers also have the option of growing herbicide‐resistant crops where the biology of the crop has been adapted to tolerate herbicides considered safe to humans and environmentally benign. This paper discusses some of the recent developments in herbicide discovery, technology and fate, and sketches important future developments.     

Reduced translocation is involved in resistance to glyphosate and paraquat in Conyza bonariensis and Conyza canadensis from California

Resistance to glyphosate and paraquat has evolved in some populations of Conyza spp. from California, USA. This study evaluated whether herbicide absorption and translocation were involved in the mechanism of resistance to both herbicides. Three lines of each species were used: glyphosate‐paraquat‐susceptible (GPS), glyphosate‐resistant (GR) and glyphosate‐paraquat‐resistant (GPR). Radiolabelled herbicide was applied to a fully expanded leaf, and absorption and movement out of the treated leaf were monitored for up to 24 h for paraquat and 72 h for glyphosate. Plants treated with paraquat were incubated in darkness for the first 16 h and then subjected to light conditions. More glyphosate was absorbed in C. bonariensis (52.9–58.3%) compared with C. canadensis (28.5–37.6%), but no differences in absorption were observed among lines within a species. However, in both species, the GR and GPR lines translocated less glyphosate out of the treated leaf when compared with their respective GPS lines. Paraquat absorption was similar among lines and across species (71.3–77.6%). Only a fraction of paraquat was translocated in the GPR lines (3% or less) when compared with their respective GPS or GR lines (20% or more) in both species. Taken together, these results indicate that reduced translocation is involved in the mechanism of resistance to glyphosate and paraquat in C. bonariensis and C. canadensis.     

Preliminary findings of potentially resistant goosegrass (Eleusine indica) to glufosinate‐ammonium in Malaysia

Goosegrass (Eleusine indica), regarded as one of the world's worst weeds, is highly pernicious to cash crop‐growers in Malaysia. Following reports in 2009 that glufosinate‐ammonium failed to adequately control goosegrass populations in Kesang, Malacca, and Jerantut, Pahang, Malaysia, on‐site field trials were conducted to assess the efficacy of glufosinate‐ammonium towards goosegrass in both places. Preliminary screenings with glufosinate‐ammonium at the recommended rate of 495 g ai ha^?1 provided 82% control of the weed at a vegetable farm in Kesang, while the same rate failed to control goosegrass at an oil palm nursery in Jerantut. The ensuing greenhouse evaluations indicated that the “Kesang” biotype exhibited twofold resistance, while the “Jerantut” biotype exhibited eightfold resistance towards glufosinate‐ammonium, compared to susceptible goosegrass populations. The occurrence of glufosinate resistance in goosegrass calls for more integrated management of the weed to prevent escalating resistance and further proliferation of the weed in Malaysia.     

Corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) cross-resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides

BACKGROUND: Papaver rhoeas (L.) has evolved resistance to tribenuron in winter wheat fields in northern Greece owing to multiple Pro₁₉₇ substitutions. Therefore, the cross‐resistance pattern to other sulfonylurea and non‐sulfonylurea ALS‐inhibiting herbicides of the tribenuron resistant (R) and susceptible (S) corn poppy populations was studied by using whole‐plant trials and in vitro ALS catalytic activity assays. RESULTS: The whole‐plant trials revealed that tribenuron R populations were also cross‐resistant to sulfonylureas mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron, chlorsulfuron and triasulfuron. The whole‐plant resistance factors (RFs) calculated for pyrithiobac, imazamox and florasulam ranged from 12.4 to > 88, from 1.5 to 28.3 and from 5.6 to 25.4, respectively, and were lower than the respective tribenuron RF values (137 to > 2400). The ALS activity assay showed higher resistance of the ALS enzyme to sulfonylurea herbicides (tribenuron > chlorsulfuron) and lower resistance to non‐sulfonylurea ALS‐inhibiting herbicides (pyrithiobac > florasulam ≈ imazamox). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that Pro₁₉₇ substitution by Ala, Ser, Arg or Thr in corn poppy results in a less sensitive ALS enzyme to sulfonylurea herbicides than to other ALS‐inhibiting herbicides. The continued use of sulfonylurea herbicides led to cross‐resistance to all ALS‐inhibiting herbicides, making their use impossible in corn poppy resistance management programmes. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry