Soil carryover of the herbicide trifluralin can injure Zea mays. Therefore, the development of resistant hybrids can be an important breeding objective. This research was conducted to study the genetic variability for trifluralin resistance in Z. mays, the effects of genes controlling resistance, and the seed lipid content of resistant (R) and susceptible (S) inbreds. Twenty inbreds were tested under greenhouse conditions at three trifluralin rates (0, 12.5, and 125 g ai ha−1). Lo1067 was the most resistant, and A632 was the most susceptible inbred. Hybrids among R and S inbreds were tested, along with their parents, under greenhouse conditions (using the same three rates) and in the field (at 0, 0.4, and 0.8 kg ai ha−1). Under both greenhouse and field conditions, inbreds R were more resistant than S. Hybrids R × R were more resistant than S × S, indicating that additive effects were important. Hybrids R × S and S × R did not significantly differ, indicating that reciprocal effects were not important. On average, hybrids R × S and S × R were intermediate between R × R and S × S, suggesting that nonadditive effects were negligible. The difference between the mean across hybrids and the mean across parents (further estimating the importance of nonadditive effects) was significant only for parameters investigated in the greenhouse. Greenhouse data were correlated with field data, but the coefficients of determination were < 50%. The ability to predict hybrid resistance on the basis of parental mean was higher in the greenhouse (r2 = 0.78) than in the field (r2 = 0.47). R and S inbreds also differed in seed lipid content, but correlations were negligible with greenhouse and field data. Data indicated the presence of genetic variability for trifluralin resistance, that additive effects were prevailing, and that the resistance level was not related to seed lipid content.

Field studies were conducted in 1996 and 1997 to determine the effects of RP-201772 and RP-201772 tank mixtures applied to emerged Zea mays. RP-201772 at 105 g ha−1 and tank-mixed metolachlor/benoxacor or atrazine were applied preemergence and to spike, 2-leaf, and 4-leaf Z. mays. Herbicide treatments over the four application timings provided greater than 90% Chenopodium album, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Amaranthus retroflexus, and Abutilon theophrasti control. However, Setaria faberi control varied among years and application timings. Severe Z. mays injury, 70% and 40%, was observed when RP-201772 tank-mixed with metolachlor/benoxacor was applied to 2-leaf and 4-leaf Z. mays, respectively. Greenhouse studies confirmed Z. mays sensitivity from delayed applications of RP-201772 tank-mixed with metolachlor/benoxacor. Similarly, increased Z. mays injury was observed from postemergence applications of RP-201772 tank-mixed with acetochlor/MON-13900. Herbicide absorption, translocation, metabolism, and retention studies were conducted to determine the physiological basis for the observed Z. mays injury from delayed applications of the RP-201772 tank mixture with metolachlor/benoxacor. Metolachlor/benoxacor increased radiolabeled RP-201772 absorption when applied to spike, 2-leaf, and 4-leaf Z. mays. RP-201772 translocation and metabolism did not explain enhanced Z. mays injury. However, RP-201772 retention increased fivefold when metolachlor/benoxacor was present in the spray solution and applied to 2-leaf and 4-leaf Z. mays. Increased RP-201772 absorption and retention appeared to be the basis for Z. mays injury when tank-mixed with metolachlor/benoxacor and applied to emerged Z. mays.

Biochemical and physiological effects of target site resistance to herbicides inhibiting acetolactate synthase (ALS) were evaluated using sulfonylurea-resistant (R) and -susceptible (S) near isonuclear Lactuca sativa ‘Bibb’ lines derived by backcrossing the resistance allele from Lactuca serriola L. into L. sativa. Sequence data suggest that resistance in L. sativa is conferred by a single-point mutation that encodes a proline197 to histidine substitution in Domain A of the ALS protein; this is the same substitution observed in R L. serriola. Kmapp (pyruvate) values for ALS isolated from R and S L. sativa were 7.3 and 11.1 mM, respectively, suggesting that the resistance allele did not alter the pyruvate binding domain on the ALS enzyme. Both R and S ALS had greater affinity for 2-oxobutyrate than for pyruvate at the second substrate site. Ratios of acetohydroxybutyrate: acetolactate produced by R ALS across a range of 2-oxobutyrate concentrations were similar to acetohydroxybutyrate: acetolactate ratios produced by S ALS. Specific activity of ALS from R L. sativa was 46% of the specific activity from S L. sativa, suggesting that the resistance allele has detrimental effects on enzyme function, expression, or stability. ALS activity from R plants was less sensitive to feedback inhibition by valine, leucine, and isoleucine than ALS from S plants. Valine, leucine, and isoleucine concentrations were about 1.5 times higher in R seed than in S seed on a per gram of seed basis, and concentrations of valine and leucine were 1.3 and 1.6 times higher, respectively, in R leaves than in S leaves. Findings suggest that the mutation for resistance results in altered regulation of branched-chain amino acid synthesis.

We conducted several experiments on linuron-resistant and -susceptible Portulaca oleracea and on atrazine-resistant and -susceptible Chenopodium album to determine their immediate and long-term responses to photosynthesis-inhibiting herbicides. Several photosynthesis-inhibiting herbicides were used, and O2 evolution was measured with a Clark-type O2 electrode. Resistance ratios (RRs) for P. oleracea, based on O2 evolution inhibition, were 8 and > 6 for linuron and diuron, respectively; > 800 for atrazine; and > 20 for terbacil. Linuron-resistant P. oleracea was negatively cross-resistant to bentazon and pyridate (RR = 0.5 and 0.75, respectively). Time-course measurements of fresh weight, photosynthetic CO2 assimilation, and photochemical efficiency indicated that linuron and atrazine inhibited electron transport in susceptible (S) P. oleracea and C. album, ultimately resulting in death. Measurements of photochemical efficiency and CO2 assimilation of linuron-resistant P. oleracea treated with linuron indicated a transient injury from which plants recovered within 14 d. Recovery of linuron-resistant P. oleracea from atrazine injury was more rapid than from linuron injury for all measured variables. Atrazine-resistant C. album had no cross-resistance to linuron. Sequence analysis of the D1 protein revealed that linuron-resistant P. oleracea had a serine-to-threonine substitution at position 264.

Transgenic Nicotiana tabacum with tolerance to 2,4-D has previously been produced using a bacterial 2,4-D-dioxygenase gene (tfdA) driven by the 35S promoter of cauliflower mosaic virus. Using promoters from the Pisum sativum plastocyanin gene (petE) and an Arabidopsis thaliana histone gene (H4A), we demonstrate that similar protection from 2,4-D can be obtained in transgenic N. tabacum by targeting expression of tfdA to either meristematic tissues or chloroplast-containing tissues. As with the 35S promoter constructs, the plants are tolerant but not completely resistant; very young seedlings in particular are only slightly protected. However, the levels of tolerance observed could offer a useful degree of protection from accidental spray drift.

Glyphosate is the world's most widely used herbicide. It is nonselective and has been used to control a broad range of weed species for the past 20 yr, without the appearance of resistant weed biotypes. However, a biotype of Lolium rigidum from a field in Northern Victoria, Australia, in which glyphosate had been used for the past 15 yr, failed to be controlled by label recommended rates. Based on LD50 values from pot dose-response experiments, this biotype exhibited resistance to glyphosate and was nearly 10-fold more resistant compared to the susceptible biotypes tested. The biotype was resistant to three different salts of glyphosate. The biotype was also nearly threefold more resistant to diclofop-methyl but was susceptible to other commonly used selective and broad-spectrum herbicides. Between the two-leaf and tillering stages of development, a susceptible biotype exhibited a small but significant decrease in tolerance to glyphosate, whereas tolerance of the resistant biotype remained unchanged with age. The resistant phenotype was verified in experiments in which seed was germinated in the presence of glyphosate. Observations on shoot and root growth of seedlings in these experiments suggested that the resistance mechanism might be associated more with the shoot than with the root.

Experiments were conducted to determine potential mechanisms of glyphosate resistance in Lolium rigidum from Australia. 14C-Glyphosate uptake, translocation, and metabolism were compared between resistant (R) and sensitive (S) biotypes. The R seed (48118a) represented the F1 progenies of plants having survived a 1.73-kg ae ha−1 (4.8 L ha−1) application of a Roundup® formulation. The S seed was a sensitive biotype of L. rigidum from Australia. Plants (one to four tillers, 2 to 4 wk old) were presprayed with a high (1.26 kg ae ha−1) or a low (0.28 kg ae ha−1) dose of formulated glyphosate. The first leaf of the first tiller, which was shielded from the spray, was immediately treated with a 14C-glyphosate solution via manual application to the adaxial surface. Harvest was made 6 days after treatment (DAT), and glyphosate residues in the leaf wash, treated leaf, roots, and shoots were quantified based on radioactivity as percentage of applied dose. The overall radioactivity recoveries were very good (90.2 to 97.3% of applied dose). R and S plants showed comparable uptake at the high (79.2 vs. 78.0%) or the low (64.0 vs. 64.7%) doses of glyphosate. About one-half of the absorbed glyphosate in both R and S (32.9 to 38.3% appl.) was translocated into the plant and distributed almost equally into roots (13.6 to 16.0% appl.) and shoots (18.1 to 22.6% appl.). Autoradiography studies demonstrated no difference in tissue localization of glyphosate between the R and S plants. For metabolism studies, tissues from individual plants were homogenized in water, and extracts were analyzed by anion exchange high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with radioactivity detection. There was little to no metabolism of glyphosate in extracts from various tissues of either R or S plants. Based on these results, we conclude that neither uptake, translocation, nor metabolism play a major role in glyphosate resistance in L. rigidum.

Weed control practices affected the weed seed content of the soil, weed seedling populations, and corn and soybean yields in two 4-yr field experiments. When the initial weed seed density was high, giant foxtail seed numbers in soil declined rapidly under weed-free conditions. Changes in seed densities when initial densities were low varied over years. Mechanical and chemical control treatments had variable effects on weed seed numbers over the course of the experiment. Weed seed numbers and weed densities were sometimes greater if herbicides were banded, but crop yields were similar to full-rate herbicides in both experiments in all years. When the initial density was low, giant foxtail seed numbers in soil increased over the course of the experiment regardless of the weed control treatment. Seed densities of broadleaf species decreased under the same conditions. Also, when initial weed densities were low, weed control and crop yields were less sensitive to weed control practices than at high weed densities. Weather factors that influenced treatment efficacy had a major affect on weed populations and crop yield responses to the weed control treatments over years. The interactions of weed control practices, weed populations, and crop yields were complex. Initial weed density and species composition interacted with weed control treatments and weather patterns to generate the results observed.

Weed populations, weed control with imazethapyr, and Glycine max yields were affected by a 4-yr history of different weed control practices. A range of chemical and mechanical practices were applied in separate field experiments initiated under high and low weed densities. In the high-density experiment, plots kept weed free for 4 yr averaged 24 Setaria faberi plants m−2 compared with 200 to 600 plants m−2 with the various weed control treatments. In plots with a history of mechanical control, weeds not controlled by imazethapyr reduced G. max yield by 340 kg ha−1 compared with plots that were kept weed free during the same period. In the low-density experiment, weed control history had less effect on weed densities. For example, S. faberi densities ranged from 19 plants m−2 for the weed-free plots to 195 plants m−2 with mechanical control. Weed control history had little effect on weed control with imazethapyr or G. max yields in imazethapyr-treated plots. While weed-free conditions for 4 yr greatly reduced weed densities, imazethapyr application still increased G. max yields 22% in the low-density experiment and 51% in the high-density experiment. Differences in densities of individual annual broadleaf species also developed in response to weed control history in both experiments.

The influence of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation on seedling growth and leaf surface characteristics of important rangeland weeds Cynoglossum officinale L. (houndstongue), Centaurea diffusa Lam. (diffuse knapweed), and Tragopogon pratensis L. (meadow salsify) was investigated in a greenhouse by exposing seedlings to 0, 7, or 11 kJ m−2 d−1 of biologically effective UV-B radiation. UV-B radiation reduced leaf, stem, and root fresh weights, leaf area, and leaf: shoot ratio and increased shoot dry matter content, specific leaf weight, and leaf greenness of C. officinale seedlings. Leaf, stem, and root fresh weight, and leaf area of C. diffusa seedlings decreased, whereas shoot dry matter content, specific leaf weight, leaf: shoot ratio, and leaf greenness were unaffected. T. pratensis seedlings exposed to UV-B radiation had diminished leaf greenness, but no change was observed in leaf or stem fresh weight, leaf area, or leaf: shoot ratio. Uniseriate trichome abundance in C. officinale seedlings increased and trichome orientation changed in response to UV-B exposure. UV-B treatments decreased uniseriate trichome abundance in C. diffusa; glandular trichome abundance and the ratio of glandular: uniseriate trichomes were not affected. T. pratensis seedlings showed no change in the amount of epicuticular wax on the adaxial leaf surface in response to UV-B irradiation. Shoot dry weight was not influenced by removal of epicuticular wax prior to UV-B exposure. Results suggest that epicuticular wax is not an important factor in acclimation of T. pratensis seedlings to UV-B radiation. Susceptibility to UV-B–induced damage was greatest for C. officinale seedlings and least for T. pratensis seedlings. Modification of plant morphology or reduction in growth induced by enhanced UV-B radiation may influence competitive relationships between rangeland weeds and their associated forage species.

Information on the influence of temperature on growth of spring Triticum aestivum L. (wheat) relative to Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad. (kochia) and Salsola iberica Sennen and Pau (Russian thistle) could lead to more efficient weed management practices. An experiment was conducted to determine the growth of spring T. aestivum, K. scoparia, and S. iberica at 15, 23, and 30 C in growth chambers. Fresh weight at 15 C was greater for spring T. aestivum than for K. scoparia and S. iberica. Conversely, fresh weights at 23 or 30 C were greater for K. scoparia and S. iberica than for spring T. aestivum. Growth response to temperature is consistent with the physiological characteristics for photosynthesis of spring T. aestivum, a C3 plant, and K. scoparia and S. iberica, which are C4 plants. The results indicate that cool temperatures that usually occur for early-seeded spring T. aestivum would give spring T. aestivum the competitive advantage over K. scoparia or S. iberica. Additionally, growing degree day (GDD) equations for height development of K. scoparia and S. iberica were determined and could be used to determine the optimum time for postemergence herbicide application.

A greenhouse experiment compared the vegetative growth in pure cultures and mixtures of winter Triticum aestivum cultivar ‘Mit’ and Lolium multiflorum cultivar ‘Marshall’ in continuously watered controls and drought treatments. Control L. multiflorum in pure culture 14 wk after planting produced more leaf area, tillers, and dry weights of stem and root than control T. aestivum in pure culture. The greater seed size, larger initial leaf area, and height allowed T. aestivum to produce greater final leaf area and dry stem weight in control mixtures than L. multiflorum. Watering following drought shifted the relative performance of the two species in pure cultures and mixtures compared to controls. The ability of T. aestivum to maintain a greater leaf expansion rate during drought and a greater leaf area afterward than L, multiflorum allowed T. aestivum to attain greater growth than L. multiflorum in pure cultures exposed to temporary drought followed by watering. Conversely, drought and its relief enhanced the relative competitiveness of L. multiflorum compared to controls in mixtures with T. aestivum. During 4 wk of watering following the drought, L. multiflorum in mixtures grew vigorously and was similar to T. aestivum in all measures except in height and dry stem weight. Thus, L. multiflorum was similar in root growth with T. aestivum in control and drought mixtures and had its aboveground competitiveness amplified by the cycle of drought and watering in this study. There was no evidence of an allelopathic interaction between the two species.

Understanding the environmental variables influencing the phenological development of weeds is essential for simulation model development. Temperature and photoperiod are important variables governing the phenological development of weeds. Growth cabinet studies were conducted to characterize the phenological development of Setaria viridis in response to variations in temperature and photoperiod and to determine the duration of the juvenile phase and the effect of temperature and photoperiod on reproductive development. Setaria viridis was adapted to a temperature range from 6.5 to 47 C. Phenological development of S. viridis was described accurately in terms of thermal days (cumulative day degrees above a base temperature) and biological days (Bd: chronological days at the optimum temperature and photoperiod). Four developmental phases of S. viridis were described: (1) a juvenile (photoperiod insensitive) phase of 2.6 Bd; (2) a photoperiod-sensitive inductive phase of 2.2 Bd; (3) a photoperiod-sensitive postinductive phase of 6.0 Bd; and (4) a photoperiod-insensitive inductive phase of 10.9 Bd. Photoperiod sensitivity of S. viridis did not differ with stage of development when expressed as a rate. Interpretation of constant sensitivity to photoperiod will simplify simulation of weed phenology in mechanistic models.

The adoption of conservation tillage systems has been challenged by concerns potential weed species shifts. A 9-yr study from 1988 to 1996 was conducted Delhi, Ontario, on a loamy sand soil to evaluate the effect of tillage systems (conventional [CT] and no-till [NT]), cover crop Secale cereale, and nitrogen (N) rate (0, 50, 100, 125, 150, and 200 kg N ha−1) on monocrop Zea mays L. (corn) yield and changes in the composition of the weed flora. CT consisted of spring moldboard plowing followed by cultivation with a tooth cultivator. Weed counts were taken in the last 3 yr of the study (1994, 1995, and 1996) prior to postemergence herbicide application and then again 2 to 3 wk after herbicide treatment. Composition or the weed flora was analyzed by canonical discriminant analysis (CDA). The relationship between weed density and tillage system was not consistent. Weed species composition differed between CT and NT systems. Chenopodium album and Amaranthus retroflexus were associated with CT and Digitaria sanguinalis with NT. N rate and cover crop did not affect weed density or species composition. Proper management of weeds with herbicides appeared to minimize any long-term effect on the weed flora resulting from varying N rates. Zea mays yields did not differ between CT and NT systems but were greater in both systems with a cover crop at the higher N rates. Disturbance caused by tillage was more important than N rate and cover crop as a mechanism influencing composition of the weed flora.

A plant response study was conducted in the greenhouse to evaluate interactions between imazamox and acifluorfen, fomesafen, or lactofen. Antagonistic interactions between imazamox and acifluorfen or fomesafen affected control of I. hederacea and A. theophrasti 21 d after treatment. Combinations of imazamox plus lactofen also antagonized control of I. hederacea. I. hederacea absorbed less 14C-imazamox when applied with nonlabeled acifluorfen, but absorption by A. theophrasti was not affected by the combination. Addition of nonlabeled lactofen did not affect absorption of imazamox in A. theophrasti or I. hederacea. Addition of acifluorfen or lactofen reduced translocation of 14C-imazamox to foliage above and below the treated leaf and the root in both A. theophrasti and I. hederacea. Antagonism of A. theophrasti control was due to reduced translocation of imazamox. Antagonism of I. hederacea control was due to reduced translocation of imazamox when applied with lactofen or reduced absorption and translocation when applied with acifluorfen.

Studies were conducted to determine lethal temperatures for Cyperus esculentus and Cyperus rotundus tubers using diurnal oscillations in soil temperature with maxima of 40, 45, 50, and 55 C and a minimum of 26 C. Growth of Cyperus spp. plants was faster at 40 C than at a constant temperature of 26 C. The 45 C treatment delayed Cyperus spp. emergence but was not lethal to tubers. Tuber mortality was 100% for both Cyperus spp. with the 50 and 55 C temperature regimes. Soil solarization with thermal-infrared-retentive (TIR) films resulted in higher soil temperatures than with a 30-μm low-density polyethylene (LDPE) clear film. With TIR films, greater proportions of emerged C. rotundus plants were killed by foliar scorching, and 6 wk of soil solarization was more effective at reducing C. rotundus density than with the LDPE film. Four weeks after film removal, the lowest level of control was obtained with the LDPE film. For C. rotundus tubers planted 5 and 10 cm deep, 62% control was obtained with the LDPE film, and it decreased to 32% with a 15-cm planting depth. The best residual control was 95 and 92% with the 75-and 100-μm TIR films, respectively. With the TIR films, there was no significant change in C. rotundus control with planting depth.

Modifications were investigated to improve shelf-life or long-term survival upon storage of an extruded Oryza sativa L. (rice) flour : gluten : clay: oil formulation (C7) of a mycoherbicide, Fusarium oxysporum Schlechtend: Fr. f. sp. erythroxyli strain EN4, that causes vascular wilt in Erythroxylum coca var. coca (coca). Fermentor-produced biomass, which contained abundant desiccation-resistant chlamydospores, was incorporated into various adaptations of C7 and stored at room temperature (22 to 25 C) under moderately high (50 to 60%) and low (0 to 5%) relative humidities (RHs). The effect of RH on shelf-life was not significant up to 4 mo of storage, while the presence of oil, added to improve its extrusion, reduced viability significantly. Addition of Gossypium hirsutum L. (cotton) embryo flour or complete elimination of oil from the formulation improved shelf-life from 3 mo to > 12 mo. Shelf-life was further improved by removing the binding agent gluten in the formulation and replacing it with autoclaved O. sativa flour. Ability of the formulations to produce secondary propagules, tested on 1% water agar, indicated that, while adding oil had no effect, G. hirsutum embryo flour increased desiccation-resistant chlamydospore counts but lowered macroconidial counts. Autoclaved rice flour (MR) significantly improved both macroconidial and microconidial counts without affecting chlamydospore counts. None of the formulations affected the total viable propagule counts. When compared with the original formulation (C7), the modification (MRRP7), with MR, G. hirsutum embryo flour, and without oil, was found to have improved shelf-life at higher temperature and RHs and enhanced potential for secondary chlamydospore formation. These characteristics are important for survival of the formulated F. oxysporum under less expensive storage conditions and, once applied, for survival in the soil.