Five biotypes of common cocklebur that were not controlled with acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides were tested in greenhouse and laboratory studies to determine the magnitude of resistance and cross-resistance to four ALS-inhibiting herbicides. In vivo inhibition of ALS was also evaluated. Based on phytotoxicity, all five ALS-resistant biotypes of common cocklebur were > 390 times more resistant than the susceptible biotype to imazethapyr. However, only four of these biotypes were also resistant to another imidazolinone, imazaquin. Two biotypes were cross-resistant to the sulfonylurea, chlorimuron, and the triazolopyrimidine sulfonanilide, NAF-75. One biotype demonstrated intermediate susceptibility to imazaquin, chlorimuron, and NAF-75. In all cases, the resistance exhibited at the whole plant level was associated with an insensitive ALS.

Greenhouse and growth chamber experiments were conducted to evaluate primisulfuron phytotoxicity to downy brome (Bromus tectorum) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) as a function of herbicide placement, adjuvants, and environmental conditions. Primisulfuron rates needed to produce GR50 (50% growth reduction) values were 0.97 ± 0.57 and 8.07 ± 1.85 g/ha for downy brome and Kentucky bluegrass, respectively. Primisulfuron was applied to downy brome and Kentucky bluegrass at three placement sites: foliar, soil, and foliar plus soil. Foliar or foliar plus soil applications were more effective at reducing downy brome dry weights than the soil application of primisulfuron, whereas Kentucky bluegrass was injured more from the soil or foliar plus soil applications than from the foliar application of primisulfuron. Primisulfuron at 5 g/ha applied alone reduced downy brome dry weights by 5%, whereas when an adjuvant was added, dry weights were reduced by 52 to 83%. Primisulfuron was more phytotoxic to downy brome at alternating temperatures of 8 to 16 C and 16 to 24 C than at 0 to 8 C. Phytotoxicity of primisulfuron was less when downy brome plants were stressed for soil moisture after herbicide treatments than when the plants were not stressed or only stressed before treatment.

Two previously identified triazine-resistant annual bluegrass (Poa annua) biotypes in Mississippi were evaluated to determine the level as well as the mode of resistance compared to a triazine-susceptible biotype. Annual bluegrass seeds were collected at two sites (Meridian and Tupelo, MS) from field plots previously treated with 11.2 kg ai/ha simazine. Seeds were planted on agar containing simazine (0, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, or 100 mM) or diuron (0, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, 100, or 1,000 μM), placed in the growth chamber with an 8 h daylength and alternating temperatures of 15 and 20 C, and allowed to grow for 3 wk, after which fresh weight was determined. Data were subjected to regression analyses and the amount of simazine or diuron required to reduce fresh weight to 50% of the untreated plants was determined. These data indicated a greater than 1,000-fold level of resistance to simazine with either biotype. Diuron concentrations of 5.0, 3.0, and 3.2 μM were required to reduce fresh weight to 50% of the untreated for the triazine-susceptible, Meridian, and Tupelo biotypes, respectively. Sequencing a portion of the chloroplast psbA gene revealed a serine 264 to glycine mutation, which reduced the affinity of the triazine herbicides for the QB-binding niche on the D1 protein in photosystem II.

Littleseed canarygrass, a troublesome wheat weed, has developed resistance against isoproturon in India. Laboratory, pot, and field experiments were conducted to quantify the level of isoproturon resistance in various littleseed canarygrass biotypes and to evaluate the response of isoproturon-resistant littleseed canarygrass to alternate herbicides. For quantification of resistance, 10 littleseed canarygrass biotypes were collected from fields with a varied history of cropping and herbicide use. Pot studies indicated that 6 out of the 10 biotypes tested were resistant to isoproturon. The resistant (R) biotypes had 50% growth reduction values, 5 to 10 times greater than that of the most susceptible biotype. The R biotypes were from areas where isoproturon had been used continuously for more than 10 yr in wheat under a continuous rice–wheat cropping system. The isoproturon resistance was not detected where crops and herbicides were rotated. Under field conditions, postemergence isoproturon at 1,000 g/ha 32 d after sowing failed to control littleseed canarygrass and as a result wheat grain yield decreased by 65% compared with the weed-free control. The herbicides observed to be effective in wheat against isoproturon-resistant littleseed canarygrass were CGA 184927 (50 to 60 g ai/ha), fenoxaprop-p-ethyl (100 to 120 g/ha), ICIA 0604 (350 g ai/ha), and MON 37503 (25 g ai/ha). The use of these herbicides increased the grain yield by 200% or more when compared with the weedy check. Among the herbicides tested, MON 37503 at 25 g ai/ha was the best because of complex weed flora control and produced wheat yield similar to that of the weed-free control. Based on this study, the absence of resistance when herbicides and crops were rotated indicates that growers should follow herbicide and crop rotation in order to avoid development of herbicide resistance in the near future. The integration of this system (crop and herbicide rotation) with cultural and mechanical means of weed control could be further targeted as a long-term strategy for resistance management.

Broadleaf weed control with postemergence applications of CGA-248757 and flumiclorac applied alone and in tank mixtures was evaluated in greenhouse and field studies. In greenhouse studies velvetleaf, common lambsquarters, redroot pigweed, common ragweed, common cocklebur, eastern black nightshade, and wild mustard shoot weight were reduced by 50% from 0.1, 2.9, 0.9, 1.1, 0.8, 0.4, and 1.2 g/ha of CGA-248757 and 0.7, 3.0, 2.4, 3.3, 3.0, 3.4, and 74.1 g/ha of flumiclorac, respectively. Under greenhouse conditions, tank mixtures of CGA-248757 or flumiclorac with atrazine, bentazon, bromoxynil, dicamba, halosulfuron, imazethapyr, lactofen, primisulfuron plus prosulfuron, or 2,4-D increased velvetleaf, common lambsquarters, redroot pigweed, or common ragweed control 14 d after treatment (DAT) when compared with the control provided by atrazine, bentazon, bromoxynil, dicamba, halosulfuron, imazethapyr, lactofen, primisulfuron plus prosulfuron, or 2,4-D applied alone. In field studies, adding CGA-248757 or flumiclorac to atrazine, bentazon, bromoxynil, dicamba, halosulfuron, imazethapyr, lactofen, CGA-277476, primisulfuron plus prosulfuron, or 2,4-D increased crop injury 3 DAT, but there was no reduction in corn or soybean yields as a result. In corn, tank mixtures of CGA-248757 or flumiclorac plus atrazine, dicamba, or 2,4-D increased velvetleaf control compared with treatments without CGA-248757 or flumiclorac. Tank mixtures of CGA-248757 or flumiclorac with primisulfuron plus prosulfuron increased common lambsquarters control compared with primisulfuron plus prosulfuron alone. Similarly, in soybean CGA-248757 or flumiclorac tank mixtures with bentazon or CGA-277476 increased control of redroot pigweed, and tank mixtures with lactofen increased common lambsquarters control. However, season-long broadleaf control in soybean with bentazon, lactofen, and CGA-277476 tank mixtures with CGA-248757 or flumiclorac did not provide acceptable weed control. Compared with imazethapyr alone the addition of CGA-248757 and flumiclorac improved soybean yield and provided season-long eastern black nightshade, common lambsquarters, redroot pigweed, and common ragweed control.