Glyphosate-resistant horseweed made sensitive to glyphosate: low-temperature suppression of glyphosate vacuolar sequestration revealed by 31P NMR

BACKGROUND: Horseweed has been the most invasive glyphosate‐resistant (GR) weed, spreading to 16 states in the United States and found on five continents. The authors have previously reported that GR horseweed employs rapid vacuolar sequestration of glyphosate, presumably via a tonoplast transporter, substantively to reduce cytosolic glyphosate concentrations. 1 It was hypothesized that glyphosate sequestration was the herbicide resistance mechanism. If resistance is indeed endowed by glyphosate sequestration, suppression of sequestration offers the potential for controlling GR horseweed at normal herbicide field‐use rates. RESULTS: Low‐temperature ³¹P NMR experiments performed in vivo with GR cold‐acclimated horseweed showed markedly suppressed vacuolar accumulation of glyphosate even 3 days after glyphosate treatment. [In stark contrast, 85% of the visible glyphosate was sequestered 24 h after spraying warm‐acclimated GR horseweed.] Cold‐acclimated GR horseweed treated at normal use rates and maintained at low temperature succumbed to the lethal effects of glyphosate over a 40 day period. Treatment of GR horseweed in the field when temperatures were cooler showed the predicted positive herbicidal response. CONCLUSIONS: Low temperature markedly diminishes vacuolar sequestration of glyphosate in the GR horseweed biotype, yielding a herbicide response equivalent to that of the sensitive biotype. This supports the recent hypothesis 1 that glyphosate sequestration is the resistance mechanism employed by GR horseweed. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Saflufenacil efficacy on horseweed and its interaction with glyphosate

Saflufenacil is a new herbicide on the market and its effectiveness on horseweed, several populations of which have evolved resistance to glyphosate, is not clear. In this research, the effect of adjuvants on the control of horseweed with saflufenacil in the field, the effect of the interaction between glyphosate and saflufenacil on glyphosate‐resistant and glyphosate‐susceptible horseweed and the patterns of uptake and translocation of glyphosate applied alone and in combination with saflufenacil in horseweed were evaluated. The addition of methylated seed oil to saflufenacil provided the best control of horseweed, with crop oil concentrate being intermediate in effect and non‐ionic surfactant ranking as the least‐effective adjuvant. The interaction between glyphosate and saflufenacil was additive with regards to the control of glyposate‐resistant horseweed. The glyphosate‐susceptible horseweed population absorbed 6–13% more ¹⁴C‐glyphosate than the glyphosate‐resistant population. The addition of saflufenacil reduced ¹⁴C‐glyphosate translocation in both the glyphosate‐resistant and the glyphosate‐susceptible horseweed populations by at least 6%; however, due to the exceptional efficacy of saflufenacil, these reductions did not reduce the level of control. Saflufenacil holds great potential as an alternative control option for glyphosate‐resistant horseweed and is a valuable tool in the management of resistant weeds.     

Erratum: Rapid vacuolar sequestration: the horseweed glyphosate resistance mechanism Xia Ge,D André d'Avignon,Joseph JH Ackerman and R Douglas Sammons

The original article to which this Erratum refers was published in Pest Management Science 2010: 66: 345–348     

Benchmark study on glyphosate-resistant cropping systems in the United States. Part 6: Timeliness of economic decision-making in implementing weed resistance management strategies

BACKGROUND: The introduction of glyphosate‐resistant (GR) crops in the late 1990s made weed control in maize, cotton and soybean simple. With the rapid adoption of GR crops, many growers began to rely solely on glyphosate for weed control. This eventually led to the evolution of GR weeds. Growers are often reluctant to adopt a weed resistance best management practice (BMP) because of the added cost of additional herbicides to weed control programs which would reduce short‐term revenue. This study was designed to evaluate when a grower that is risk neutral (profit maximizing) or risk averse should adopt a weed resistance BMP. RESULTS: Whether a grower is risk neutral or risk averse, the optimal decision would be to adopt a weed resistance BMP when the expected loss in revenue is greater than 30% and the probability of resistance evolution is 0.1 or greater. However, if the probability of developing resistance increases to 0.3, then the best decision would be to adopt a weed resistance BMP when the expected loss is 10% or greater. CONCLUSION: Given the scenarios analyzed, risk‐neutral or risk‐averse growers should implement a weed resistance BMP with confidence that they have made the right decision economically and avoided the risk of lost revenue from resistance. If the grower wants to continue to see the same level of return, adoption of BMP is required. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Non‐target‐site mechanism of glyphosate resistance in Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum)

In Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, glyphosate‐resistant Lolium multiflorum is a serious problem on the levees of rice paddies and in wheat fields. The mechanism of resistance of this biotype was analyzed. Based on LD₅₀, the resistant population was 2.8–5.0 times more resistant to glyphosate than the susceptible population. The 5‐enolpyruvyl‐shikimate‐3‐phosphate synthase (EPSPS) gene sequence of the resistant biotype did not show a non‐synonymous substitution at Pro106, and amplification of the gene was not observed in the resistant biotype. The metabolism and translocation of glyphosate were examined 4 days after application through the direct detection of glyphosate and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) using liquid chromatograph‐tandem mass spectrometer (LC‐MS/MS). AMPA was not detected in either biotype in glyphosate‐treated leaves or the other plant parts. The respective absorption rates of the susceptible and resistant biotypes were 37.90 ± 3.63% and 41.09 ± 3.36%, respectively, which were not significantly different. The resistant biotype retained more glyphosate in a glyphosate‐treated leaf (91.36 ± 1.56% of absorbed glyphosate) and less in the untreated parts of shoots (5.90 ± 1.17%) and roots (2.76 ± 0.44%) compared with the susceptible biotype, 79.58 ± 3.73%, 15.77 ± 3.06% and 4.65 ± 0.89%, respectively. The results indicate that the resistance mechanism is neither the acquisition of a metabolic system nor limiting the absorption of glyphosate but limited translocation of the herbicide in the resistant biotype of L. multiflorum in Shizuoka Prefecture.     

Benchmark study on glyphosate-resistant cropping systems in the United States. Part 1: Introduction to 2006-2008

Glyphosate-resistant (GR) crop technology has dramatically impacted agriculture. The adoption of GR systems in canola, maize, cotton, soybean and sugar beets has been widespread in the United States. However, weed scientists are concerned that growers' current herbicide programs and weed management tactics will affect their sustainability and effectiveness. Without proper management, the potential for weed populations to express a high degree of resistance to glyphosate will adversely impact the utility of glyphosate. In 2005, weed scientists from six universities initiated a long-term research study to assess the sustainability of GR technology. This paper introduces five other articles in this series. Over 150 fields of at least 10 ha were selected to participate in a long-term field-scale study, and each field was split in half. On one-half the grower continued using the current weed management program; on the other half the grower used academic-recommended herbicide resistance best management practices. Field data were collected in 2006-2008 to determine the impact of the two weed management programs on weed populations, diversity, seedbank, crop yields and economic returns. This long-term study will provide invaluable data for determining the sustainability and profitability of diversified weed management programs designed to lower the risk of evolving weed resistance to glyphosate.     

Benchmark study on glyphosate-resistant cropping systems in the United States. Part 5: Effects of glyphosate-based weed management programs on farm-level profitability

BACKGROUND: Glyphosate‐resistant (GR) crops have changed the way growers manage weeds and implement control strategies. Since the introduction of GR crops, growers in many instances have relied on glyphosate almost exclusively to control a broad spectrum of weeds. This overreliance on glyphosate has resulted in the evolution of glyphosate resistance in some weed species. Growers and scientists are concerned about the sustainability of GR crops and glyphosate. When a grower is making decisions about weed control strategies, economic costs and benefits of the program are primary criteria for selection and implementation. Studies across six states were initiated in 2006 to compare the economics of using a weed resistance best management practice (BMP) system with a grower's standard production system. RESULTS: Resistance BMP systems recommended by university scientists were more costly but provided similar yields and economic returns. Rotation of GR crops resulted in a higher net return (maize and soybean) compared with continuous GR crop (cotton or soybean) or rotating a GR crop with a non‐GR crop (maize). CONCLUSION: Growers can implement weed resistance BMP systems with the confidence that their net returns will be equivalent in the short run, and, in the long term, resistance BMP systems will prevent or delay the evolution of GR weeds in their fields, resulting in substantial savings. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Benchmark study on glyphosate-resistant crop systems in the United States. Part 2: Perspectives

A six-state, 5 year field project was initiated in 2006 to study weed management methods that foster the sustainability of genetically engineered (GE) glyphosate-resistant (GR) crop systems. The benchmark study field-scale experiments were initiated following a survey, conducted in the winter of 2005-2006, of farmer opinions on weed management practices and their views on GR weeds and management tactics. The main survey findings supported the premise that growers were generally less aware of the significance of evolved herbicide resistance and did not have a high recognition of the strong selection pressure from herbicides on the evolution of herbicide-resistant (HR) weeds. The results of the benchmark study survey indicated that there are educational challenges to implement sustainable GR-based crop systems and helped guide the development of the field-scale benchmark study. Paramount is the need to develop consistent and clearly articulated science-based management recommendations that enable farmers to reduce the potential for HR weeds. This paper provides background perspectives about the use of GR crops, the impact of these crops and an overview of different opinions about the use of GR crops on agriculture and society, as well as defining how the benchmark study will address these issues.     

Evaluation of different methods for the characterization of carrot resistance to the alternaria leaf blight pathogen (Alternaria dauci) revealed two qualitatively different resistances

Alternaria leaf blight (ALB), caused by Alternaria dauci, is one of the most damaging foliar diseases of carrot worldwide. The aim of this study was to compare different methods for evaluating levels of carrot resistance to ALB. Three techniques were investigated by comparison with a visual disease assessment control: in vivo conidial germination, a bioassay based on a drop‐inoculation method, and in planta quantification of fungal biomass by quantitative PCR (Q‐PCR). Three carrot cultivars showing different degrees of resistance to A. dauci were used, i.e. a susceptible cultivar (Presto) and two partially resistant genotypes (Texto and Bolero), challenged with an aggressive or a very aggressive isolate of A. dauci. Both partially resistant genotypes produced a higher mean number of germ tubes per conidium (up to 3·42±0·35) than the susceptible one (1·26±0·18). The drop‐inoculation results allowed one of the partially resistant genotypes (Bolero, log₁₀(S+1) = 1·34±0·13) to be distinguished from the susceptible one (1·90±0·13). By contrast, fungal growth measured by Q‐PCR clearly differentiated the two partially resistant genotypes with log₁₀(I) values of 2·77±0·13 compared to the susceptible cultivar (3·65±0·13) at 15 days post‐inoculation. This result was strongly correlated (r² = 0·91) with the disease severity index scored at the same date. Data obtained with the different assessment methods strongly suggest that the Texto and Bolero genotypes have different genetic resistance sources.