The effect of ammonium sulfate (AMS) on efficacy, absorption, and translocation of glufosinate in various weed species was investigated in greenhouse and field experiments. Adding ammonium sulfate at 20 g L−1 increased the efficacy of glufosinate on Echinochloa crus-galli, Setaria faberi, and Abutilon theophrasti, but not on Amaranthus rudis or Chenopodium album. AMS increased foliar absorption of 14C from 14C-glufosinate to the greatest extent in A. theophrasti and S. faberi and to the least extent in C. album. AMS increased the translocation of 14C out of the treated leaf 24 h after treatment in A. theophrasti and S. faberi, but not in C. album. These results suggest that AMS can increase the efficacy of glufosinate on A. theophrasti and S. faberi by increasing foliar absorption and subsequent translocation of glufosinate.

Greenhouse and laboratory studies were conducted to determine the physiological basis for CGA-248757 and flumiclorac selectivity in five plant species. CGA-248757 and flumiclorac selectively control weeds postemergence (POST) by inhibiting protoporphyrinogen oxidase (Protox). Injury symptoms from CGA-248757 and flumiclorac include rapid desiccation and necrosis similar to injury from diphenyl ether and bipyridinium herbicides. Species sensitivity to CGA-248757 and flumiclorac was evaluated by comparing the dry weight reduction from POST applications. Abutilon theophrasti was sensitive to both herbicides, Amaranthus retroflexus was more sensitive to flumiclorac than CGA-248757, Brassica kaber was sensitive to CGA-248757 but tolerant of flumiclorac, and Zea mays and Glycine max were tolerant of both herbicides. Studies evaluated CGA-248757 and flumiclorac retention, absorption, translocation, and metabolism. Enhanced herbicide metabolism contributed to the tolerance of A. retroflexus to CGA-248757 and B. kaber to flumiclorac. Decreased herbicide retention, absorption, and translocation coupled with increased metabolism contributed to Z. mays tolerance of CGA-248757 and flumiclorac. Decreased herbicide retention and increased herbicide metabolism provided G. max tolerance of both herbicides.

Modern weed control tactics have played a major role in the productivity of cropping systems. Herbicides have been an effective component of weed control for major crops, greatly reducing yield losses and facilitating reduced tillage systems. Although these benefits are important, weed problems, soil erosion, and environmental concerns persist. Herbicides will continue to play a key role in most production systems, but weed species will continue to evolve and weed communities shift in response to selection pressures. Weed science must develop and incorporate additional practices to create integrated management systems that diversify selection pressures and reduce environmental degradation. Integrated pest management (IPM) may provide a useful framework for the development of integrated weed management systems. The basic principles of IPM are well established and have been successfully applied to many agricultural pests. However, the application of IPM to weed management has lagged behind other pest management disciplines. Many of the concepts and approaches of IPM are relevant to weed management, but these were not developed specifically for weed management and are not sufficient to address it adequately. Principles of IPM unique to weed management need to be delineated, developed, and put into practice. Although IPM for other pests provides an excellent framework, weed science must develop its own theory, management tactics, and monitoring procedures based on the unique characteristics of weed communities.

Three Avena fatua (wild oat) populations resistant to imazamethabenz, flamprop, and fenoxaprop-P were identified from the northwest agricultural region of Manitoba, Canada. These populations were identified after producer reports of failure of imazamethabenz to provide satisfactory control in the field. Although these A. fatua populations had previously been exposed to other herbicides, primarily ACCase inhibitors, imazamethabenz had never before been applied. In growth room experiments, resistant (R) plants were 7.2 and 8.7 times more resistant to imazamethabenz and flamprop, respectively, than susceptible (S) plants, as measured by the ratio of dosages required to inhibit shoot dry matter accumulation by 50% (GR50 R/S). The three populations did not differ significantly (P < 0.05) in levels of resistance to imazamethabenz. Similarly, the populations did not differ in levels of resistance to flamprop. The populations differed in their response to fenoxaprop-P; levels of resistance for two populations were 2.0-fold, while the remaining population was 2.9-fold. An experiment conducted in 1995 in one of the infested fields confirmed multiple herbicide resistance, with A. fatua panicle numbers in August being 36, 128, and 44% of untreated controls at recommended dosages of imazamethabenz, flamprop, and fenoxaprop-P, respectively. Three additional populations of A. fatua with multiple herbicide resistance from other areas of Manitoba were identified in a 1996 field experiment. For the six A. fatua populations in the 1996 experiment with multiple herbicide resistance, panicle numbers expressed as a percentage of the untreated controls varied from 44 to 77% for imazamethabenz, 57 to 83% for flamprop, and 43 to 88% for fenoxaprop-P (commercially recommended dosage of each herbicide). Multiple herbicide resistance in A. fatua is not rare; screening of A. fatua seed samples from across Manitoba and Saskatchewan has identified a number of additional R populations. The evolution of herbicide resistance in the absence of direct selection is a very serious development as producers with multiple herbicide resistance in A. fatua are left with a very limited number of herbicide options for selective control in crops commonly grown in western Canada.

The absorption, translocation, and metabolism of glufosinate were investigated in three differentially susceptible weeds, Xanthium strumarium (most susceptible), Ipomoea purpurea (intermediate susceptibility), and Commelina diffusa (least susceptible). Xanthium strumarium absorbed about three times more 14C-glufosinate than Ipomoea purpurea and about six times more 14C-glufosinate than Commelina diffusa. Translocation of the applied herbicide out of the treated leaf was low. No evidence of glufosinate metabolism, either in the treated leaves or roots, was found when the extracts were separated by HPLC.

Glycine max cultivars exhibit differential tolerance to soil-applied sulfentrazone. The intent of this study was to determine the physiological basis for this differential tolerance by evaluating sulfentrazone absorption and metabolism during the earliest stages of G. max development (i.e., germinating seeds, and germinal seedlings). Imbibed seeds (24 h) of the sulfentrazone-tolerant cultivar ‘Stonewall’ absorbed 37% less sulfentrazone than the sulfentrazone-sensitive cultivar ‘Asgrow 6785’. Similarly, germinal seedlings (i.e., 60 h from start of imbibition) of the sulfentrazone-tolerant cultivars Stonewall and ‘Pioneer 9593’ absorbed 22% less sulfentrazone than the sulfentrazone-sensitive cultivars Asgrow 6785 and ‘Carver’ when exposed to sulfentrazone-containing solution for either 24 or 48 h. The amount of root-absorbed 14C-sulfentrazone that was translocated into cotyledon or hypocotyl tissues did not exceed 11% of the amount absorbed and was similar for all four cultivars. Sulfentrazone metabolism by both imbibed seeds and by germinal seedlings was independent of cultivar. Increasing the sulfentrazone concentration in the seed imbibition solution and increasing the temperature resulted in greater seedling height reduction at 10 d in Asgrow 6758 than in Stonewall. Results indicate that differential absorption during the earliest stages of development is the basis for the differential response among G. max cultivars. Comparatively limited sulfentrazone absorption by Stonewall, as reflected in acceptable seedling injury, remained relatively consistent across the range of concentrations and temperatures evaluated.

Eighteen Lolium spp. (ryegrass) accessions collected in 1998 from several locations in Arkansas were tested for resistance (R) to diclofop in both seed and whole-plant response bioassays. Eleven accessions were L. temulentum and eight were L. perenne. Fourteen of eighteen accessions were confirmed resistant to diclofop in whole-plant assay. Three of the susceptible (S) accessions were L. temulentum. The GR50 (diclofop concentration that reduced shoot or root length by 50%) R/S ratios based on whole-plant response were greater than those of the seed bioassay in all test populations, indicating that the whole-plant bioassay was more sensitive than the seed bioassay for determining diclofop resistance in Lolium spp. The most resistant (#18) and most susceptible (#3) accessions of L. temulentum were used for multiple resistance and enzyme assay experiments. Based on whole-plant bioassay, accession #18 was 411 times more resistant to diclofop than the susceptible accession #3. Accession #18 exhibited cross-resistance to fenoxaprop and multiple resistance to chlorsulfuron applied preemergence or postemergence. Resistance to other herbicide families was not observed. Resistance to chlorsulfuron was not detected in the seed bioassay. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) from accession #18 was 833 times more resistant to diclofop and 10 times more resistant to sethoxydim than ACCase from accession #3. Cross-resistance to sethoxydim was not observed at the whole-plant level. Resistance to diclofop among Lolium spp. from Arkansas may be due to an alteration in the target enzyme, ACCase.

A small assortment of microbial proteins have the ability to activate defense responses and induce necrosis in plant cells through cell signaling pathways. These proteins are of interest because of their potential use as bioherbicides and inducers of plant resistance in agriculture. A 24-kDa protein (Nep1) was purified from culture filtrates of Fusarium oxysporum, and the effects of this protein on weed leaves were investigated. This protein induced necrosis in detached leaves of Papaver somniferum, Lycopersicon esculentum, Malva neglecta, and Acroptilon repens when taken up through the petiole. The pattern and level of necrosis were dependent on the plant species. Treatment with Nep1 induced the production of ethylene in isolated leaves of various species, and the level of ethylene response was shown to be correlated to the concentration of the protein. Pretreating leaves of P. somniferum, L. esculentum, M. neglecta, and Cardaria draba with 100 µl L−1 ethylene enhanced the protein induction of ethylene biosynthesis in those leaves. Application of Nep1 (200 nM) as a spray to intact plants of Abutilon theophrasti, P. somniferum, Centaurea solstitialis, Centaurea maculosa, and Sonchus oleraceus resulted in extensive necrosis of leaves within 48 h. The results of this research are supplemental to our understanding of the role of specific polypeptides in plant/microbe interactions and demonstrates for the first time that a fungal protein can cause extensive necrosis when applied to weed species as a foliar spray.

Spray application of 24 and 46 g ha−1 MON 37500 was used in efficacy studies, and vacuum infiltration or droplet application of radiolabeled MON 37500 was used in metabolism studies to evaluate temperature and soil moisture on MON 37500 efficacy and metabolism. Day/night temperatures before vs. after application of MON 37500 of 25/23 vs. 25/23, 25/23 vs. 5/3, 5/3 vs. 25/23, and 5/3 vs. 5/3 C were evaluated for the efficacy study, whereas day/night temperatures of 5/3 and 25/23 C were used for the metabolism study. Soil moisture of one-third and full pot capacities was evaluated for both studies. No Triticum aestivum injury was observed at the different temperatures or soil moistures because of rapid metabolism of MON 37500 by T. aestivum. Weed control was greater when the temperature after application was 25/23 C or soil moisture was at full pot capacity than when the temperature was at 5/3 C after application or soil moisture was at one-third pot capacity. Susceptibility to MON 37500 was greatest for Bromus tectorum, moderate for Avena fatua, and least for Aegilops cylindrica. This pattern of susceptibility for the weed species was related to their ability to metabolize MON 37500. Aegilops cylindrica metabolized more MON 37500 in the first 24 h than did A. fatua, whereas B. tectorum metabolized the least MON 37500. Cool air temperatures decreased MON 37500 metabolism in all species, whereas soil moisture had no effect.

Failure to control Xanthium strumarium with acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor herbicides has been reported in Iowa and surrounding states. Single-seed descent techniques were used to isolate three X. strumarium biotypes: CAM-10 from near Cambridge, Iowa; Colo-25 from near Colo, Iowa; and Ohio-1 from Fulton County, Ohio. Ohio-1 and Colo-25 were selected because of apparent resistance to imazethapyr, whereas CAM-10 was selected for observed sensitivity to imazethapyr. The biotypes were assayed in vitro with three different ALS inhibitor herbicides, and ALS activity was measured. The 50% inhibition values (I50) of ALS for imazethapyr were determined to be ninefold or higher for the Ohio-1 and Colo-25 biotypes compared to the CAM-10 biotype. The I50 for imazaquin was determined to be about ninefold higher for the Colo-25 biotype and sixfold higher for the Ohio-1 biotype when compared to the CAM-10 biotype. All biotypes were equally sensitive to chlorimuron ethyl. The resistance was due to a single dominant nuclear gene.

Studies were conducted to compare physiological characteristics of linuron-susceptible and -resistant Portulaca oleracea. The susceptible biotype had heavier seed and germinated more rapidly than the resistant biotype. Eight weeks after seeding, fresh and dry weights of susceptible P. oleracea plants were significantly greater than those of resistant plants. Susceptible P. oleracea had a significantly higher CO2 assimilation rate at 30 C, but was similar to that of resistant P. oleracea at 40 C. The susceptible biotype had a significantly higher CO2 assimilation rate at CO2 concentrations ≥ 600 ppm and at incident light levels ≥ 900 µmol m−2 s−1. The susceptible biotype had higher carboxylation and photochemical efficiencies.