The era of glyphosate-resistant crops enabled, arguably, the most simplified and robust weed management system ever implemented by producers of major row crops. However, current trends over the next five years will necessitate the adoption of much more complex weed management tactics as no single technology or practice will translate into broad-scale effectiveness. More specifically, the complexity of weed management will potentially involve the pervasiveness of weeds with resistance to multiple herbicide groups, the selection of crop seed from several herbicide-resistant trait packages, the increased use of diverse herbicide chemistry, and an increased awareness to prevent off-target movement of herbicides. Glyphosate-resistant weed species currently infest millions of acres in the major crop production regions of the US, and the spread of resistance is anticipated to continue if altered management tactics are not implemented. The private industry sector anticipates the regulatory approval and commercialization of herbicide-resistant crop traits over the next five years, such as resistance to the herbicides 2,4-D, dicamba, isoxaflutole, and mesotrione with various combinations of these traits with resistance to glyphosate and glufosinate. Thus, weed management options will be driven, or limited, by the seed selected for planting well in advance of the weeds emerging in the fields. The integration of multiple herbicides with soil residual or foliar activity will require knowledge of herbicide site of action groups, soil factors, crop rotation restrictions, herbicide interactions, and optimal foliar application techniques that optimize herbicide efficacy while reducing the potential for off-target movement. Thus, the glyphosate-resistant crop technology that allowed for the most simplistic method for controlling weeds over the past 15 years will be followed by complex decisions on seed selection, herbicide combinations, application methods, and herbicide stewardship over the next five years.

Complexity of weed management over the next five years

246th National Meeting (2013)

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