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Weed Ecology and Management in the Era of Herbicide Resistance and Climate Change

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2021) | Viewed by 21928

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ali Bajwa

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Guest Editor

Weed Research Unit, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia
Interests: weed biology and ecology; integrated weed management; weed–climate interactions; weed seedbank dynamics

Dr. Amar Matloob

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Guest Editor

Department of Agronomy, Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan
Interests: weed science; allelopathy; plant stress physiology

Dr. Muthukumar Bagavathiannan

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Guest Editor

Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
Interests: weed biology and ecology; weed science; herbicide resistance; integrated weed management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Weeds are arguably the most problematic and destructive pests in agro-ecosystems. They not only cause significant yield and quality reductions in crop produce, but they also interfere with other management operations, and sometimes harbour other noxious crop pests. Although weed science has made significant progress in understanding the biology, dispersal, and persistence mechanisms, as well as the interference dynamics of these unwanted, wild plants, knowledge is still limited and scattered compared with other pests. This is mainly because the fundamental focus has remained on weed management, particularly in-crop weed infestations, in order to avoid economic losses. We have long benefited from and still heavily rely on chemical weed control, but our lack of acknowledgement for evolution has led to immense problems of widespread herbicide resistance, rapidly increasing invasions, and continuous pressure to produce more food. Therefore, it is important to excel our understanding of biology, ecology, interference, and impacts of weeds in agricultural systems. This will help in designing and implementing effective weed management programs. Similarly, compiling the literature on advances in weed management strategies is essential for researchers and farmers.

This wide-scope Special Issue invites cutting-edge research, as well as qualified expert opinions in the form of research and review papers, on following potential aspects:

Biology—the studies must indicate how the understanding of any aspect of plant biology will help in management
Ecology—plant interactions with a range of environmental conditions and/or other biological factors, and how these ecological interactions could be linked with management
Interference and impact—understanding the competition or interference dynamics in production systems; studies on socio-economic impacts can be included, as long as they also cover species’ biology or part of management
Management—efficacy of various chemical, physical, cultural, ecological, and biological weed control methods; research reporting integrated weed management (IWM) is highly sought after.

Please note that this list is not extensive, so feel free to contact us if you are not sure about the suitability of your topic.

Dr. Ali Bajwa
Dr. Amar Matloob
Dr. Muthukumar Bagavathiannan
Guest Editors

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Keywords

weed biology
weed ecology
herbicide resistance
weed–crop competition
climate change
weed seedbank
integrated weed management

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 2012 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Solar Radiation Flux Provides a Method of Quantifying Weed-Crop Balance in Present and Future Climates

by Geoffrey R. Squire, Mark W. Young and Cathy Hawes

Plants 2021, 10(12), 2657; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10122657 - 03 Dec 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1594

Abstract

A systematic approach to quantifying the weed–crop balance through the flux of solar radiation was developed and tested on commercial fields in a long-established Atlantic zone cropland. Measuring and modelling solar energy flux in crop stands has become standard practice in analysis and comparison of crop growth and yield across regions, species and years. In a similar manner, the partitioning of incoming radiation between crops and the in-field plant community may provide ‘common currencies’ through which to quantify positive and negative effects of weeds in relation to global change. Here, possibilities were explored for converting simple ground-cover measures in commercial fields of winter and spring oilseed rape in eastern Scotland, UK to metrics of solar flux. Solar radiation intercepted by the crops ranged with season and sowing delay from 129 to 1975 MJ m⁻² (15-fold). Radiation transmitted through the crop, together with local weed management, resulted in a 70-fold range of weed intercepted radiation (14.2 to 963 MJ m⁻²), which in turn explained 93% of the corresponding between-site variation in weed dry mass (6.36 to 459 g m⁻²). Transmitted radiation explained almost 90% of the variation in number of weed species per field (12 to 40). The conversion of intercepted radiation to weed dry matter was far less variable at a mean of 0.74 g MJ⁻¹ at both winter and spring sites. The primary cause of variation was an interaction between the temperature at sowing and the annual wave of incoming solar radiation. The high degree of explanatory power in solar flux indicates its potential use as an initial predictor and subsequent monitoring tool in the face of future change in climate and cropping intensity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Management in the Era of Herbicide Resistance and Climate Change)

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14 pages, 1302 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing the Weed-Suppressing Potential of Cotton Chromosome Substitution Lines Using the Stair-Step Assay

by Mary Gracen Fuller, Sukumar Saha, David M. Stelly, Johnie N. Jenkins and Te Ming Tseng

Plants 2021, 10(11), 2450; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112450 - 13 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1556

Abstract

Palmer amaranth is a problematic common weed species, especially in cotton. With the wide use of chemical herbicide and herbicide-tolerant transgenic cotton lines, Palmer amaranth populations have developed tolerance to commonly used herbicides. It is imperative to develop alternative weed control methods to slow the evolution of herbicide-resistant weed populations and provide new strategies for weed management. Eleven chromosome substitution (CS) cotton lines (CS-B26lo, CS-T17, CS-B16-15, CS-B17-11, CS-B12, CS-T05sh, CS-T26lo, CS-T11sh, CS-M11sh, CS-B22sh, and CS-B22lo) were screened for weed-suppressing abilities in this study. The cotton lines were tested using the established stair-step assay. Height (cm) and chlorophyll concentration (cci) were measured for each plant in the system. The most significant variation in Palmer amaranth height reduction among the CS lines was observed 21 days after establishment. CS-B22sh (76.82%) and T26lo (68.32%) were most effective in reducing Palmer amaranth height. The cluster analysis revealed that CS-B22sh, and CS-T26lo were clustered in one group, suggesting similar genetic potential with reference to Palmer amaranth growth and development. CS-B22sh showed novel genetic potential to control the growth and development of Palmer amaranth, a problematic weed in cotton fields. Future experimentation should implement more parameters and chemical testing to explore allelopathic interactions among CS lines and Palmer amaranth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Management in the Era of Herbicide Resistance and Climate Change)

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12 pages, 605 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Removal of Biomass and Nutrients by Weeds and Direct-Seeded Rice under Conservation Agriculture in Light-Textured Soils of North-Western India

by Salwinder Singh Dhaliwal, Sandeep Sharma, Arvind Kumar Shukla, Vivek Sharma, Makhan Singh Bhullar, Tarundeep Kaur Dhaliwal, Mohammed Alorabi, Saqer S. Alotaibi, Ahmed Gaber and Akbar Hossain

Plants 2021, 10(11), 2431; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112431 - 11 Nov 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1789

Abstract

The escalating scarcity of irrigation water, transplantation of rice on light-textured soils and labour cost acted as major drivers for the transition towards direct-seeded rice (DSR) cultivation from the conventionally flooded transplanting system. Despite these advantages, DSR is a challenge in light texture soil due to heavy weed infestation and a slight decline in crop yield. The weeds compete for nutrients and have an adverse effect on the growth and yield of crops. Hence, to assess the removal of macro and micronutrients by weeds and direct-seeded rice, a field experiment was carried out on sandy loam soil for two consecutive Kharif seasons (2018 and 2019). Three treatments from rice, namely: DSR under zero tillage (DSR-ZT), DSR under conventional tillage (DSR-CT) and DSR under reduced tillage (DSR-RT) were taken as main plots with three tillage treatments in wheat, namely: Conventional tillage without rice straw (CTW-R), Zero tillage without rice straw (ZTW-R) and Zero tillage with straw as mulch using Happy Seeder (ZTW+R) as subplots, replicated thrice. Among the rice establishment methods, DSR-RT showed an edge in terms of rice grain and straw yield (6.18 and 8.14 Mg ha⁻¹, respectively) as well as macro- and micronutrient uptake by rice. Under management practices, ZTW+R proved as an efficient strategy in terms of yield and nutrient uptake by crops. The contribution of weeds towards biomass production was maximum under the ZTW-R (9.44%) treatment followed by DSR-ZT (7.72%). The nutrient budgeting showed that macro- and micronutrient removal by weeds was minimum under reduced tillage (24.51 and 50.35%, respectively), whereas it was 21.88 and 44.87% when wheat was grown under conventional tillage without rice straw. In overall, the research study concluded that weeds on an average remove 25.65 % macronutrients (N, P, K) and 51.47% of micronutrients (Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn) in DSR under rice-wheat cropping system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Management in the Era of Herbicide Resistance and Climate Change)

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15 pages, 1477 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Soil Moisture Regimes on the Glyphosate Sensitivity and Morpho-Physiological Traits of Windmill Grass (Chloris truncata R.Br.), Common Sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus L.), and Flaxleaf Fleabane [Conyza bonariensis (L.) Cronq.]

by Arslan Masood Peerzada, Alwyn Williams, Chris O’Donnell and Steve Adkins

Plants 2021, 10(11), 2345; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112345 - 29 Oct 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1832

Abstract

The glasshouse study was conducted with the objectives of (i) investigating the effect of soil moisture variations on the control efficiency of glyphosate on windmill grass (Chloris truncata R.Br.), common sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus L.), and flaxleaf fleabane [Conyza bonariensis (L.) Cronq.], (ii) evaluating the tolerance of tested weed species under soil moisture variations, and (iii) determining the morphological and physiological characteristics of these species to partially explain herbicide tolerance under periods of reduced soil moisture availability (RSM). The species’ tolerance to glyphosate increased significantly under reduced soil moisture availability (p < 0.001). The lethal dose to cause herbicide injury or biomass reduction by 50% (LD₅₀) and 80% (LD₈₀) in relation to untreated control for water-stressed plants [i.e., moderate soil moisture availability (MSM) and RSM] was significantly higher than that of plants grown under high soil moisture availability (HSM). The tolerance factor (TF) for C. truncata, S. oleraceus, and C. bonariensis, in terms of biomass reduction under RSM, was 2.6, 2.4, and 2.6, respectively, as compared to HSM. The results showed that the glyphosate sensitivity, especially at the sub-lethal rates, of the three weed species under study decreased as soil moisture availability reduced (p< 0.01). Overall glyphosate efficacy, in relation to the recommended rate, was unaffected, except for C. truncata; the weed survived the highest tested glyphosate rate [750 g active ingredient (a.i.) ha⁻¹] under RSM. There was significant interaction between weed species and soil moisture regimes for weed morpho-physiological traits (p < 0.001), with reduced soil moisture having a more influential impact on the growth of C. bonariensis and S. oleraceus compared to C. truncata. Changes in the leaf characteristics, such as increased leaf thickness, higher leaf chlorophyll content, reduced leaf area, and limited stomatal activity for all the tested weed species under MSM and RSM in relation to HSM, partially explain the tolerance of species to glyphosate at sublethal rates. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Management in the Era of Herbicide Resistance and Climate Change)

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15 pages, 2323 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Wheat and Cereal Rye Inter-Row Living Mulches Interfere with Early Season Weeds in Soybean

by Charles M. Geddes and Robert H. Gulden

Plants 2021, 10(11), 2276; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112276 - 24 Oct 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2096

Abstract

Rapid growth of cool-season weeds in the spring exacerbates weed interference during early soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) establishment in northern climates. This study tested the utility of spring-seeded inter-row living mulches in soybean for early season weed suppression using volunteer canola (Brassica napus L.) as a representative model weed species. The effects of the presence or absence of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) or winter cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) living mulches (mulch type) that had been seeded simultaneously with soybean grown using 38 or 76 cm row spacing (spatial arrangement) and the presence or absence of herbicides used for mid-season mulch termination (herbicide regime) were evaluated in three environments in Manitoba, Canada, in 2013 and 2014. Soybean yield was similar in the presence and absence of the living mulches. In the environment that received the lowest precipitation (Carman 2013), the mulches terminated with post-emergence glyphosate resulted in a 55% greater soybean yield compared to the mulches that remained live throughout the growing season. Inter-row mulches that had been living or terminated mid-season reduced volunteer canola seed production by about one-third (up to 9000 seeds m⁻²). This study demonstrates the utility of wheat or cereal rye inter-row living mulches for enhanced interference with weeds during early soybean establishment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Management in the Era of Herbicide Resistance and Climate Change)

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11 pages, 2379 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Burial Environment Drives Seed Mortality of Kochia (Bassia scoparia), Wild Oat (Avena fatua), and Volunteer Canola (Brassica napus) Irrespective of Crop Species

by Charles M. Geddes

Plants 2021, 10(9), 1961; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10091961 - 20 Sep 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1757

Abstract

Models of weed population demography are critical to understanding the long-term viability of management strategies. The driving factors of weed seedbank persistence are often underrepresented in demographic models due to the cumbersome nature of seedbank research. Simplification of weed seedbank dynamics may induce substantial error in model simulations. A soil bioassay was conducted to determine whether growth of different crop species, including wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), canola (Brassica napus L.), and field pea (Pisum sativum L.), differentially impact seed mortality of kochia [Bassia scoparia (L.) A.J. Scott], wild oat (Avena fatua L.), and volunteer canola in seven burial environments in western Canada. Weed seed survival after the 7 week burial period varied widely among burial environments (from 8% to 88% when averaged among weed and crop species), whereas growth of the different crop species had negligible impact on seedbank persistence. Among environments, wild oat seed survived the greatest (79%), followed by kochia (20%), and volunteer canola (6%). Weed seed survival was associated with soil physical properties (texture) and seed microsite characteristics (temperature), but not crop species or soil chemical properties. Overall, these data support the need for greater integration of soil and environmental parameters into models of weed population demography. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Management in the Era of Herbicide Resistance and Climate Change)

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17 pages, 966 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Silver Fir (Abies alba Mill.) Needle Extract Produced via Hydrodynamic Cavitation on Seed Germination

by Francesca Ugolini, Alfonso Crisci, Lorenzo Albanese, Gabriele Cencetti, Anita Maienza, Marco Michelozzi, Federica Zabini and Francesco Meneguzzo

Plants 2021, 10(7), 1399; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10071399 - 08 Jul 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1945

Abstract

This paper describes the antigerminant capacity of water extracts of silver fir needles created by means of hydrodynamic cavitation processes. Fir needles (2 kg fresh weight) collected in the winter were blended and crushed in ice, poured in water only (120 L) and processed in a controlled hydrodynamic cavitation device based on a fixed Venturi-shaped reactor. The A. alba water extract (AWE), comprising an oil-in-water emulsion of silver fir needles’ essential oil (100% AWE), was diluted in distilled water to 75% and 50% AWE, and all aqueous solutions were tested as antigerminant against four weeds and four horticultural species and compared to control (distilled water). This study shows the effective inhibitory effect of pure AWE on germination, which mainly contains limonene (15.99 ng/mL) and α-pinene (11.87 ng/mL). Seeds showed delayed germination and inhibition but also a reduction in radicle elongation in AWE treatments as compared to control. This combined effect was particularly evident in three weeds (C. canadensis, C. album and A. retrofllexus) while horticultural species showed mainly effects on the radicle elongation as found in L. sativa, P. crispum and S. lycospermum, which showed on average 58%, 32% and 28%, respectively, shorter radicles than in the control. P. sativum was not affected by AWE, thus raising the hypothesis that seed characteristics and nutrition reserve might play a role in the resistance to terpenes inhibitory effect. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Management in the Era of Herbicide Resistance and Climate Change)

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14 pages, 5440 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Low Effectiveness of Prosulfocarb and Mesosulfuron-Methyl + Iodosulfuron-Methyl against Vulpia myuros

by Muhammad Javaid Akhter, Abdullatief M. Abdurruhman, Solvejg Kopp Mathiassen and Per Kudsk

Plants 2021, 10(6), 1186; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10061186 - 10 Jun 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2349

Abstract

Due to natural tolerance to most widely used herbicides for grass weed control, prosulfocarb as pre-emergence or early post-emergence herbicide and mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron as post-emergence herbicide are the mainstays of any chemical control program for Vulpia myuros in Denmark. However, farmers often report variable efficacy of these herbicides on V. myuros compared to other grass weeds. Dose–response experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of prosulfocarb and mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron on V. myuros. Prosulfocarb was sprayed at different plant growth stages to study the influence of plant growth stage on the performance of prosulfocarb on V. myuros in comparison with the more susceptible grass weed species Apera spica-venti. Doses causing 50% reduction in response variable (ED₅₀) were estimated from the dose–response analysis. The ED₅₀ values revealed a higher tolerance of V. myuros to prosulfocarb and mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron than A. spica-venti. The relative difference in the effectiveness of prosulfocarb between V. myuros and A. spica-venti was constant among plant growth stages studied. The highest levels of V. myuros control were achieved when prosulfocarb was sprayed pre-emergence (BBCH 00), while the control substantially declined at later growth stages. The results from the current study document the tolerance of V. myuros to prosulfocarb and mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron and highlight the importance of optimization of prosulfocarb spray timing for achieving maximum control of V. myuros. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Management in the Era of Herbicide Resistance and Climate Change)

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11 pages, 1263 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Different Climate Change Variables on the Ecology and Management of Sesbania cannabina through Glyphosate

by Nadeem Iqbal, Sudheesh Manalil, Bhagirath Singh Chauhan and Steve Adkins

Plants 2021, 10(5), 910; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10050910 - 01 May 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2190

Abstract

An elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration and frequent droughts are two anticipated climate change scenarios in which certain invasive weeds may develop competitive advantages over crops and adversely impact productivity and herbicide efficacy. Hence, a study was conducted to explore the effect of different climatic scenarios on the growth and management of Sesbania cannabina (Retz.) Pers with glyphosate. The variables investigated were two CO₂ concentrations (400 and 700 ppm), two soil moisture levels (100% and 50% of field capacity (FC)), and three glyphosate rates (0 (control), 517 (50% of recommended rate), and 1034 g ae ha⁻¹ (recommended rate)). CO₂ concentrations and soil moisture levels had different effects on the growth and management of S. cannabina. Overall, 100% FC and elevated [CO₂] of 700 ppm recorded the maximum plant height (38 cm), leaves per plant (20), growth index (60), chlorophyll content (SPAD value 37), and dry biomass (3 g) in comparison with ambient [CO₂] of 400 ppm and 50% FC treatment. The recommended glyphosate application gave 100% weed biomass reduction; however, efficacy was reduced (63%) when applied at 50% of the recommended rate under elevated [CO₂] of 700 ppm and 50% FC conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Management in the Era of Herbicide Resistance and Climate Change)

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Review

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16 pages, 914 KiB

Open AccessReview

Soil Properties and Weed Dynamics in Wheat as Affected by Rice Residue Management in the Rice–Wheat Cropping System in South Asia: A Review

by Ramanpreet Kaur, Simerjeet Kaur, Jasdev Singh Deol, Rajni Sharma, Tarundeep Kaur, Ajmer Singh Brar and Om Parkash Choudhary

Plants 2021, 10(5), 953; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10050953 - 10 May 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3253

Abstract

The rice–wheat cropping system (RWCS) has substantially contributed in making India self-sufficient in food grain production; however, rice residue management is of great concern, threatening the sustainability of this system. Rice residue is invariably disposed of by farmers through open burning. In addition to environmental pollution, residue burning of rice also leads to loss of soil nutrients. One of the alternatives to overcome these problems and sustain the RWCS is managing the rice residues in the field itself. Rice residue retention has variable effects on agricultural pests (namely, weeds, insect pests, diseases, and rodents) in the RWCS. High weed infestation in the RWCS results in high consumption of herbicides, which leads to several ecological problems and evolution of herbicide resistance. The shift from intensive tillage to conservation tillage causes major changes in weed dynamics and herbicide efficacy. Incorporation of rice residue reduces weed density and helps in improving soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. Rice residue retention on the surface or mulching reduces weed density and the biomass of both grass and broadleaf weeds in wheat crop as compared to its removal. Long-term field studies involving the use of rice residue as a component of integrated weed management strategies are needed to be done in the RWCS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Management in the Era of Herbicide Resistance and Climate Change)

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