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The “Wicked” Nature of the Herbicide Resistance Problem

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

David R. Shaw
David R. Shaw*
Affiliation:
Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: dshaw@research.msstate.edu
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Abstract

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Sociologists define a wicked problem as one without clear causes or solutions, and thus difficult or impossible to solve. Herbicide resistance is the epitome of a wicked problem: the causes are convoluted by myriad biological and technological factors, and are fundamentally driven by the vagaries of human decision-making. Weed scientists for decades have conducted research and developed educational programs to prevent or mitigate evolution of herbicide resistance, yet resistance is more prevalent today than ever before. If we expect to achieve success in herbicide resistance management, different approaches will be essential. The second Herbicide Resistance Summit focused on “doing something different,” bringing in rural sociologists, agricultural economists, weed scientists, and crop consultants to discuss the decision-making process itself, community-based approaches to resistance management, economics of resistance management, potential regulatory and incentive programs, new approaches to educational programs, diversification of weed management, and a call to action for everyone involved in the decision-making process.

Keywords

Herbicide Resistance Summitherbicide resistancewicked problem
Type
Research Article
Information
Weed Science , Volume 64 , Issue S1: Special Issue: Human Dimensions of Herbicide Resistance , 2016 , pp. 552 - 558
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 by the Weed Science Society of America

Footnotes

Associate editor for this paper: Sarah Ward, Colorado State University.

References

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