A holistic approach in herbicide resistance research and management: from resistance detection to sustainable weed control

Agricultural weeds rapidly adapt to human-imposed selection, notably evolving herbicide resistance. We adopted a holistic approach—combining rapid resistance confirmation, mechanistic investigation, alternative control testing, and population modeling—to manage glyphosate-resistant Amaranthus palmeri in Argentine soybean systems. Glyphosate resistance in the studied Villa Valeria population was mainly due to a P106S target-site mutation in the EPSPS gene, with minor contributions from EPSPS gene duplication/overexpression. Alternative herbicides such as fomesafen effectively controlled resistant plants. Modeling suggested solo herbicide use primarily selects a single resistance mechanism and highlighted the importance of residual herbicides and chemical diversity for sustainability. We discuss the value of interdisciplinary research in understanding and managing evolving weeds.

Chun Liu, Lucy V. Jackson, Sarah-Jane Hutchings, Daniel Tuesca, Raul Moreno, Eddie Mcindoe, Shiv S. Kaundun