Identifying Chloris Species from Cuban Citrus Orchards and Determining Their Glyphosate-Resistance Status

Chemical management of aquatic macrophytes under simulated floodplain condition in mesocosms

Floating natives (Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes) and emergent exotic invasives (Hedychium coronarium and Urochloa arrecta) macrophytes grow as aquatic weeds in both natural and artificial floodplain areas in Brazil, where the chemical control should be researched. The herbicides glyphosate and saflufenacil, alone or mixed, were tested for weed control under simulated floodplain condition in mesocosms. Glyphosate (1,440 g ha^-1), saflufenacil (120 g ha^-1), or glyphosate (1,440 g ha^-1) + saflufenacil (42, 84, and 168 g ha^-1) were applied firstly; and 75 days after treatment (DAT), glyphosate (1,680 g ha^-1) was applied as a follow-up treatment to control plant regrowth. An herbicide-free check was also used. Echhinornia crassipes was the species most susceptible to the different herbicides. Saflufenacil alone presented the lowest control on the macrophytes (≤45%) from 7 to 75 DAT, and in most cases they presented high regrowth rates, i.e., this herbicide was the least effective treatment in reducing the dry mass production of the macrophyte community. Glyphosate alone presented low efficacy to control H. coronarium (30-65%), but for the other macrophytes, it presented control peaks ≥90%, maintaining control levels ≥50% until 75 DAT. Glyphosate + saflufenacil, regardless rate of saflufenacil, caused similar damage to glyphosate in E. crassipes and P. stratiotes; however, in U. arrecta it caused 20-30% less injury. In contrast, these treatments provided the best control of H. coronarium. The complementary application of glyphosate was essential to improve the level of control of the first application, after plant regrowth.

Glyphosate resistance in Chloris radiata from colombian rice fields involves one target-site mechanism

At present, appearance of herbicide resistant weeds is not new because repeated herbicide treatments per agricultural year/cycle are usual in both perennial and annual crops worldwide. Characterizing resistance mechanisms implied in each herbicide resistant weed is the best tool and the basis to develop integrated weed management (IWM) strategies. The main resistance mechanisms which confer low sensibility to glyphosate in a previously confirmed glyphosate-resistant Chloris radiata population (ChrR), occurring in Colombian rice fields, were characterized. Pure line selection by clone plants showed high resistance levels in ChrR. Comparing with GR50 and LD50 values, ChrR was 9.6 and 10.8 times more resistant with respect to a representative susceptible population (ChrS). The nontarget site mechanisms reduced glyphosate absorption and translocation did not contribute to the glyphosate resistance of the ChrR population. However, enzyme activity assays and DNA sequencing demonstrated that at least one target-site resistance mechanism is involved in such resistance. All ten ChrR plants tested had the amino acid substitution Pro-106-Ser. The results may be crucial to decrease the resistance distribution of C. radiata in Colombia by implementing IWM programs. The change in weed control strategies in rice fields from Colombia must include herbicides with different mode of action from glyphosate and non chemical methods to preserve the useful life of glyphosate longer for weed control in the country.

Confirmation of Multiple Resistant Chloris radiata Population, Harvested in Colombian Rice Fields

This paper reports the first C. radiata population with resistance to glyphosate and multiple resistance to the acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor, imazamox. Two populations, one putative resistant (R) and one susceptible (S), were used in the studies. Dose–response experiments were performed to evaluate the resistance factor (RF). Shikimic acid accumulation, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) and ALS enzyme activities were studied together with chemical integrated weed management (adjuvants and alternative herbicides). The resistance to glyphosate and imazamox was confirmed based on the dry weight reduction, visual evaluation and survival. The results of dose–response curve assays showed for the R population intermedium RF for glyphosate (5.1 and 9.7 for amount of herbicide needed to reduce the dry weight by 50% GR50 and lethal dose of 50% LD50, respectively) and high RF for imazamox (34.9 and 37.4, respectively). The low shikimic acid accumulation in R population confirmed the glyphosate resistance. The glyphosate concentration which inhibited the EPSPS enzyme in 50% (I50) was approximately 20 times higher for R population than the S population, while the imazamox I50 in ALS enzyme for the R plants was 89 times greater than the S plants. In the chemical integrated weed management, the foliar retention and effectivity assays showed that the use of adjuvants improves the retention of glyphosate and imazamox, and the reduction in dry weight of weeds. The alternative herbicides study showed that the acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) inhibitors, paraquat and glufosinate, had better results for control in this species. However, poor control was observed with bispyribac-sodium, metsulfuron-methyl and quinclorac, indicating possible cross-resistance for ALS-inhibitors and also multiple resistance for auxinic herbicides (quinclorac). Nevertheless dose–response experiments are required to confirm this assumption.

Distribution of Glyphosate-Resistance in Echinochloa crus-galli Across Agriculture Areas in the Iberian Peninsula

The levels of resistance to glyphosate of 13 barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli) populations harvested across different agriculture areas in the Southern Iberian Peninsula were determined in greenhouse and laboratory experiments. Shikimate accumulation fast screening separated the populations regarding resistance to glyphosate: susceptible (S) E2, E3, E4, and E6 and resistant (R) E1, E5, E7, E8, E9, E10, E11, E12, and E13. However, resistance factor (GR₅₀ E1-E13/GR₅₀ E6) values separated these populations into three groups: (S) E2, E3, E4, and E6, (R) E1, E5, E7, E8, and E9, and very resistant (VR) E10, E11, E12, and E13. ¹⁴C-glyphosate assays performed on two S populations (E2 and E6) showed greater absorption and translocation than those found for R (E7 and E9) and VR (E10 and E12) populations. No previous population metabolized glyphosate to amino methyl phosphonic acid (AMPA) and glyoxylate, except for the E10 population that metabolized 51% to non-toxic products. The VR populations showed two times more 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) activity without herbicide than the rest, while the inhibition of the EPSPS activity by 50% (I₅₀) required much higher glyphosate in R and VR populations than in S populations. These results indicated that different target-site and non-target-site resistance mechanisms were implicated in the resistance to glyphosate in E. crus-galli. Our results conclude that resistance is independent of climate, type of crop, and geographic region and that the level of glyphosate resistance was mainly due to the selection pressure made by the herbicide on the different populations of E. crus-galli studied.

Resistance to Fomesafen, Imazamox and Glyphosate in Euphorbia heterophylla from Brazil

Euphorbia heterophylla is a species of weed that was previously controlled by fomesafen, imazamox and glyphosate, but continued use of these herbicides has selected resistant populations from the Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). One resistant (R) strain and one susceptible (S) strain to fomesafen, imazamox and glyphosate were compared, the latter by recurrent selection. Dose-response tests showed multiple resistance to these herbicides. The required imazamox concentration to inhibit ALS by 50% was approximately 16 times greater in the R population than in the S population. Based on the EPSPS activity results, the R population was 10 fold less sensitive to glyphosate than the S counterpart. In addition, basal EPSPS activity from R plants was 3.3 fold higher than the level detected on S plants. The Proto IX assays showed high resistance to fomesafen in the R population that accumulated less Proto IX than the S population. Malathion assays showed the participation of CytP450 in fomesafen resistance, but a molecular mechanism could also be involved. To our knowledge, this is the first characterisation of multiple resistance to these three groups of herbicides in E. heterophylla in the world.

Evolving Multiple Resistance to EPSPS, GS, ALS, PSI, PPO, and Synthetic Auxin Herbicides in Dominican Republic Parthenium hysterophorus Populations. A Physiological and Biochemical Study

Two Parthenium hysterophorus populations resistant (R) and susceptible (S) harvested in banana crop from the Dominican Republic were studied. All S plants died when the herbicides were applied at field dose, except with paraquat. For the R population, the order of plant survival was as follows: glyphosate and paraquat > flazasulfuron > glufosinate > fomesafen > 2,4-D. The resistance factors obtained in the dose–response assays showed a high resistance to glyphosate, flazasulfuron, and fomesafen, medium resistance to glufosinate and 2,4-D, and a natural tolerance to paraquat (resistance factor (RF) = 1.0). The I50 values obtained in the 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS), acetolactate synthase (ALS), and glutamine synthetase (GS) activity studies with glyphosate, flazasulfuron, and glufosinate, respectively, were greater in R than in S. The effect of fomesafen was measured by the Proto IX levels, obtaining five times more Proto IX in the S than in the R population. The resistance to 2,4-D in the R was determined by the lower accumulation of ethylene compared to the S population. The studies with 14C-paraquat conclude that the lower absorption and translocation in both the R and S populations would explain the natural tolerance of P. hysterophorus. This is the first case of multiple resistance to herbicides with different mechanisms of action confirmed in P. hysterophorus.

New Case of False-Star-Grass (Chloris distichophylla) Population Evolving Glyphosate Resistance

Chloris distichophylla, suspected of glyphosate resistance (GR), was collected from areas of soybean cultivation in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A comparison was made with a susceptible population (GS) to evaluate the resistance level, mechanisms involved, and control alternatives. Glyphosate doses required to reduce the dry weight (GR50) or cause a mortality rate of 50% (LD50) were around 5.1–3 times greater in the GR population than in the GS population. The shikimic acid accumulation was around 6.2-fold greater in GS plants than in GR plants. No metabolized glyphosate was found in either GR or GS plants. Both populations did not differ in the enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) basal activity or in vitro inhibition of EPSPS activity by glyphosate (I50). The maximum glyphosate absorption was observed at 96 hours after treatment (HAT), which was twofold higher in the GS plants than in the GR plants. This confirms the first case of glyphosate resistance in C. distichophylla. In addition, at 96 HAT, the GS plants translocated more 14C-glyphosate than the GR ones. The best options for the chemical control of both C. distichophylla populations were clethodim, quizalofop, paraquat, glufosinate, tembotrione, diuron, and atrazine. The first case of glyphosate resistance in C. distichophylla was due to impaired uptake and translocation. Chemical control using multiple herbicides with different modes of action (MOA) could be a tool used for integrated weed management (IWM) programs.

Response of Chloris truncata to moisture stress, elevated carbon dioxide and herbicide application

Herbicide resistance has been observed in Chloris truncata, an Australian native C4 grass and a summer-fallow weed, which is common in no-till agriculture situations where herbicides are involved in crop management. To investigate the role of drought and increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in determining weed growth, three trials were conducted using a 'glyphosate-resistant' and a 'glyphosate-susceptible' biotype. The first two trials tested the effect of herbicide (glyphosate) application on plant survival and growth under moisture stress and elevated CO2 respectively. A third trial investigated the effect on plant growth and reproduction under conditions of moisture stress and elevated CO2 in the absence of herbicide. In the first trial, water was withheld from half of the plants prior to application of glyphosate to all plants, and in the second trial plants were grown in either ambient (450 ppm) or elevated CO2 levels (750 ppm) prior to, and following, herbicide application. In both biotypes, herbicide effectiveness was reduced when plants were subjected to moisture stress or if grown in elevated CO2. Plant productivity, as measured by dry biomass per plant, was reduced with moisture stress, but increased with elevated CO2. In the third trial, growth rate, biomass and seed production were higher in the susceptible biotype compared to the resistant biotype. This suggests that a superior ability to resist herbicides may come at a cost to overall plant fitness. The results indicate that control of this weed may become difficult in the future as climatic conditions change.

From tolerance to resistance: mechanisms governing the differential response to glyphosate in Chloris barbata

BACKGROUND

Susceptibility and the mechanism (s) governing tolerance/resistance to glyphosate were characterized in two putative-glyphosate-resistant Chloris barbata populations (R1 and R2), collected in Persian lime orchards from Colima State, Mexico, comparing them with one non-treated population (referred to as S).

RESULTS

Glyphosate doses required to reduce fresh weight or cause mortality by 50% were 4.2-6.4 times higher in resistant populations than in the S population. The S population accumulated 4.3 and 5.2 times more shikimate than the R2 and R1 populations, respectively. There were no differences in 14 C-glyphosate uptake between R and S populations, but the R plants translocated at least 12% less herbicide to the rest of plant and roots 96 h after treatment. Insignificant amounts of glyphosate were metabolized to aminomethyl phosphonate and glyoxylate in both R and S plants. The 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase gene of the R populations contained the Pro106-Ser mutation, giving them a resistance 12 (R2) and 14.7 (R1) times greater at target-site level compared with the S population.

CONCLUSION

The Pro106-Ser mutation governs the resistance to glyphosate of the R1 and R2 C barbata populations, but the impaired translocation could contribute to the resistance. These results confirm the first case of glyphosate resistance evolved in this species. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.