The blackgrass genome reveals patterns of divergent evolution of non-target site resistance to herbicides.

Globally, weedy plants result in more crop yield loss than plant pathogens and insect pests combined. Much of the success of weeds rests with their ability to rapidly adapt in the face of human-mediated environmental management and change. The evolution of resistance to herbicides is an emblematic example of this rapid adaptation. Here, we focus on Alopecurus myosuroides (blackgrass), the most impactful agricultural weed in Europe. To gain insights into the evolutionary history and genomic mechanisms underlying adaptation in blackgrass, we assembled and annotated its large, complex genome. We show that non-target site herbicide resistance is oligogenic and likely evolves from standing genetic variation. We present evidence for divergent selection of resistance at the level of the genome in wild, evolved populations, though at the transcriptional level, resistance mechanisms are underpinned by similar patterns of up-regulation of stress- and defence-responsive gene families. These gene families are expanded in the blackgrass genome, suggesting that the large, duplicated, and dynamic genome plays a role in enabling rapid adaptation in blackgrass. These observations have wide significance for understanding rapid plant adaptation in novel stressful environments.

Sumatran Fleabane (Erigeron sumatrensis) Resistant to PSI-Inhibitor Herbicides and Physiological Responses to Paraquat

Herbicide-resistant weed management is one of the greatest agricultural challenges in crop production. Thus, the quick identification of resistant-herbicide weeds is extremely important for management. This study aimed to evaluate resistance to PSI-inhibitor herbicides (diquat) of Sumatran Fleabane [(Erigeron sumatrensis (Retz.) E.Walker)] and physiological response to paraquat application. The research was conducted with two E. sumatrensis biotypes, one susceptible and the other with multiple resistance to herbicides from five different modes of action (glyphosate, paraquat, diuron, saflufenacil, and 2,4-D). A dose-response assay was carried out to evaluate herbicide resistance to diquat in paraquat-resistant E. sumatrensis biotype. The enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content, and chlorophyll a fluorescence were measured in both biotypes after paraquat (400 g ai ha−1) application. The dose-response assay confirmed resistance of E. sumatrensis to diquat with resistance factor levels of 26-fold and 6-fold for LD50 and GR50 values, respectively, compared with the susceptible biotype. The accumulation of H2O2 occurred faster in the paraquat-susceptible biotype than in the resistant ones. Paraquat treatment caused an increase in SOD and APX activity in the susceptible biotype, but antioxidant enzyme activities were unaffected by paraquat in the resistant one at 5 hours after application (HAA). Chlorophyll a fluorescence increased along the first 4 HAA in both resistant and susceptible biotypes. However, at 24 HAA the resistant biotype showed a decline in fluorescence close to untreated plants while susceptible one died, which can be used to diagnose paraquat resistance at 24 HAA. There is confirmed resistance to diquat in a paraquat-resistant E. sumatrensis biotype. The paraquat-resistant biotype does not induce antioxidative enzymes, as a possible mechanism of resistance to paraquat, but shows a fast recovery of photosynthesis and continuous growth when subjected to paraquat, while the paraquat-susceptible biotype does not survive.

Herbicide Resistance in Phalaris Species: A Review

Weeds, such as Phalaris spp., can drastically reduce the yield of crops, and the evolution of resistance to herbicides has further exacerbated this issue. Thus far, 23 cases of herbicide resistance in 11 countries have been reported in Phalaris spp., including Phalaris minor Retz., Phalaris paradoxa L., and Phalaris brachystachys L., for photosystem II (PS-II), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase), and acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides. This paper will first review the cases of herbicide resistance reported in P. minor, P. paradoxa, and P. brachystachys. Then, the mechanisms of resistance in Phalaris spp. are discussed in detail. Finally, the fitness cost of herbicide resistance and the literature on the management of herbicide-resistant weeds from these species are reviewed.

Phytopathogenic fungi with potential as biocontrol agents for weeds of importance in crops of Antioquia, Colombia

Background Use of phytopathogenic fungi for the biocontrol of weeds represents a promising path in the search for new management alternatives that allow reducing negative effects on the environment and the generation of biotypes having resistance to herbicides. The first step in developing weed biological control programs is to determine the plants and their natural enemies with the highest affinity and potential to achieve effective biocontrol. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the phytopathogenic potential of fungal isolates on four economically important weeds including: Rumex crispus L., Digitaria horizontalis Willd, Persicaria nepalensis (Meisn.) Miyabe, and Thunbergia alata Bojer ex Sims, as a possible biocontrol agent. Results Morphological and molecular identification of nine phytopathogenic isolates of weeds was achieved, according to the sequencing of the ITS, β-Tub2, and TEF1-α regions. Pathogenicity of the following species on original hosts was confirmed: Colletotrichum cigarro, Epicoccum draconis, and Didymella rumicicola on R. crispus; Bipolaris sp., on D. horizontalis; Bipolaris zeicola, Phialemoniopsis curvata, and Stemphylium beticola on P. nepalensis and, Alternaria thunbergiae and Nigrospora sphaerica on T. alata. These could be, fairly, considered the first worldwide reports of such interactions, except for A. thunbergiae and Bipolaris sp. The most virulent interactions according to the AUDPC value corresponded to (R. crispus × D. rumicicola), (D. horizontalis × Bipolaris sp.), (P. nepalensis × S. beticola) and (T. alata × A. thunbergiae), with an incidence of 100%. Conclusion These strains were proposed for future research as potential biocontrol agents, which represented a great resource for the possible generation of new bio-herbicides.

Recent Discovery of Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson in Italy: Characterization of ALS-Resistant Populations and Sensitivity to Alternative Herbicides

Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson (Amaranthaceae Juss.) is a dioecious noxious weed, native to the Americas, which infests summer crops. It causes high crop losses, and rapidly evolves resistance to herbicides. In Europe, A. palmeri was recorded mostly as a casual alien, but in 2018 it was reported infesting a soybean field in Italy, and the next year two more populations were found in the same area. Experiments were conducted on these three populations to evaluate the resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides, to determine the main resistance mechanisms involved and assess the efficacy of alternative herbicides with different sites of action than ALS. The three populations were confirmed cross-resistant to ALS-inhibiting herbicides (thifensulfuron-methyl and imazamox). Gene sequencing identified a Trp to Leu substitution at position 574 of ALS gene in resistant plants, proving that the main resistance mechanism for the three populations is target-site related. The presence of other resistance mechanisms cannot be excluded. Metobromuron, metribuzin and glyphosate are still effective on these populations.

A REVIEW ON WEED IN DIRECT-SEEDED RICE (DSR)

Oryza sativa, cereal crop grown worldwide which feeds 60% of world. DSR, feasible and resource conserving technique of rice cultivation is gaining popularity, but due to weed infestation, crop experience a yield loss from 15%-100%. Various journals were assessed and books were consulted with the objective of compiling the various weeds of DSR and their management strategies in a comprehensive single document. Weed can be manage by different methods but integration of all methods is the best and eco-friendly compared to chemical one. Biotechnological method for development of herbicide resistance varieties, biological methods are new and are best alternative options. Different pre and post emergence herbicides could be applied to kill or suppress in short period with recommended doses and stage of crop. No single method is perfect for killing all the weeds, integrating different strategies having different modes of action can reduce the weed density and resistance to herbicides.

Alopecurus myosuroides (black-grass).

A. myosuroides is an annual grass which is native to Eurasia and grows in moist meadows, deciduous forests, and cultivated or disturbed ground. A significant weed species in temperate cereal crops, it has become one of the most damaging weeds of winter cereals in Western Europe with the changes in agricultural practice over the past 30 years from regular ploughing to reduced tillage systems, suppression of broadleaf weeds in continuous cereals, and the move away from burning of stubbles. These changes have allowed the weed to invade well-drained lighter soils in addition to the heavier clay soils on which it is dominant. It has been introduced repeatedly as a weed of cultivation into many temperate and warm temperate regions but has not spread to a large degree out of cultivation. A. myosuroides has been listed as a noxious weed in the state of Washington, one of the states where winter wheat is a major crop. Due to its propensity to evolve resistance to herbicides it is a threat to the productivity of continuous cereal growing in high-input systems of temperate areas.

Recurrent Selection with Glufosinate at Low Rates Reduces the Susceptibility of a Lolium perenne ssp. multiflorum Population to Glufosinate

Repeated applications of herbicides at the labelled rates have often resulted in the selection and evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds capable of surviving the labelled and higher rates in subsequent generations. However, the evolutionary outcomes of recurrent herbicide selection at low rates are far less understood. In this study of a herbicide-susceptible population of Lolium perenne ssp. multiflorum, we assessed the potential for low glufosinate rates to select for reduced susceptibility to the herbicide, and cross-resistance to herbicides with other modes of action. Reduced susceptibility to glufosinate was detected in progeny in comparison with the parental population following three rounds of selection at low glufosinate rates. Differences were mainly observed at the 0.5X, 0.75X, and 1X rates. Comparing the parental susceptible population and progeny from the second and third selection cycle, the percentage of surviving plants increased to values of LD50 (1.31 and 1.16, respectively) and LD90 (1.36 and 1.26, respectively). When treated with three alternative herbicides (glyphosate, paraquat, and sethoxydim), no plants of either the parental or successive progeny populations survived treatment with 0.75X or higher rates of these herbicides. The results of this study provide clear evidence that reduced susceptibility to glufosinate can evolve in weed populations following repeated applications of glufosinate at low herbicide rates. However, the magnitude of increases in resistance levels over three generations of recurrent low-rate glufosinate selection observed is relatively low compared with higher levels of resistance observed in response to low-rate selection with other herbicides (three fold and more).

Metabolism-Based Herbicide Resistance, the Major Threat Among the Non-Target Site Resistance Mechanisms

Evolution of resistance to pesticides is a problem challenging the sustainability of global food production. Resistance to herbicides is driven by the intense selection pressure imparted by synthetic herbicides on which we rely to manage weeds. Target-site resistance (TSR) mechanisms involve changes to the herbicide target protein and provide resistance only to herbicides within a single mechanism of action. Non-target site resistance (NTSR) mechanisms reduce the quantity of herbicide reaching the target site and/or modify the herbicide. NTSR mechanisms include reduced absorption and/or translocation, increased sequestration, and enhanced metabolic degradation. Of these diverse mechanisms contributing to NTSR, metabolism-based herbicide resistance represents a major threat because it can impart resistance to herbicides from varied chemical classes across any number of mechanisms of action.