AGR 3102 (1)

Principles of Weed Science

Herbicide Resistance in Weed

Species

Muhammad Saiful Ahmad Hamdani

What is Herbicide Resistance???
• Spray herbicide on weeds = subject to fatal
injury or killed by the herbicide = Herbicide
Susceptible.
What we want to happen…

• Weeds still alive after receiving herbicide

application... what we want to avoid...
• However, if we continue using the same
herbicide to kill weeds, eventually they will
withstand/immune to it = resistance to it.
Herbicide Resistance:

The inherited ability of a plant to survive and

reproduce following exposure to a dose of
herbicide that would normally inhibit and kill
susceptible individuals of the same population.
 Resistant (R) plants were originally susceptible
(S), but through continuous exposure to
herbicide, they become R.

• How plants evolved resistance???

- continuous selection pressure from
the HERBICIDE.

• Weeds surviving herbicide because of

continuous application.
 Year 3

Year 1 & 2

A single herbicide/ herbicides

with similar MOA is used to
control a susceptible (S) weed
population continuously. A
resistant (R) population begins
with as little as one resistant
individual (shown in orange).
Year 4 Resistant plant set seeds,
producing more R
individuals. The same
herbicide is used on weed
population with more R
individuals. The process
repeated.
Year 5 Year 6

Year 7 Over time, the number

of resistant individuals
increases until
almost/all the entire
population is resistant
to the herbicide that is
used to control them =
Control Failure.
• First case = Commelina diffusa and Daucus
carota to 2,4-D, and Senecio vulgaris to
triazine.

• 437 cases of HR (238 species) to 22 of the 25

known herbicide sites of action (155 different
herbicides) in 84 crops in 65 countries (Heap
2014).
Unfortunately, it also has become…..

Genetically Modified (GM) Crops

GM Crops
• Genetically modified crops (GM crops) are plants,
the DNA of which has been modified using genetic
engineering techniques, which are then used in
agriculture.

• GM plants have genes inserted into them derived from

another species (plant or bacteria) that are naturally
resistant to that particular herbicide.

• One of the most famous kinds of GM crops are

"Roundup Ready", or glyphosate-resistant crops.
 Why Glyphosate-GM Crops???
• Glyphosate is a very effective herbicide.

• Highly broad-spectrum herbicide.

• Has favourable toxicological and

environmental properties.

• No resistance cases to Glyphosate reported

in the US at that time, and ones predicted it
is less likely to happen.

• What did farmers say?

 Many Farmers Accepted it
Too!!!

“Because of biotechnology and Roundup Ready

soybeans …it helps me be a better husband and a better
father, and that is important to me.”
- William Horan, Soybean Farmer, Rockwell City, Iowa
• So…. are GM crops really an effective weed
management tool?

• Yes…actually, too effective!

• Farmers don’t practise herbicide rotation and

crop rotation anymore.

• Single herbicide (glyphosate) on a single

crop or only rotate between GM crops…..

• What happened next??? What would weeds

react to GM crops???
 Only after 5 years following introduction,
weeds have developed resistance to
Glyphosate… and in 2005, GM crops is no
longer an effective method to control weeds.
Evolved herbicide resistance
patterns
Herbicide Resistance Types

1. Single Herbicide Resistance

• Resistant to only one herbicide

• Posses single resistance mechanism only

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2. Cross resistance

• Plant is resistant to two or more herbicide

families with same mode of action.
• Posses single or two resistance mechanism.
• i.e. Lolium rigidum is resistant to diclofop
(WSSA Group 1/HRAC Group A; Chemical
Family APP; MOA ACCase biosynthesis
inhibitors) and clethodim (also WSSA Group
1/HRAC Group A; Chemical Family CHD; MOA
ACCase biosynthesis inhibitors).
3. Multiple resistance

• Plant is resistant to two or more herbicides

having different MOA.
• May be the result of two or more different
resistance mechanisms.
• i.e. Eleucine indica is resistant to glyphosate
(WSSA Group 9/HRAC Group G; Chemical Family
Glycines; MOA EPSPS inhibitor) and fluazifop-P-
butyl (WSSA Group 1/HRAC Group A; Chemical
Family APP; MOA ACCase biosynthesis inhibitors).
RESISTANCE MECHANISMS
2 types of resistance mechanism:

1. Target-site 2. Non target-site

resistance resistance

• Target site/enzyme • Herbicides only

altered its structure reach its target at
or increase its sublethal
number concentrations OR
does not reach at all.
 RESISTANCE
MECHANISMS

TARGET-SITE NON-TARGET-
RESISTANCE SITE RESISTANCE

TARGET-SITE REDUCED
MUTATION UPTAKE

OVEREXPRESSION/
REDUCED
OVERPRODUCTION
OF TARGET ENZYME TRANSLOCATION

ENHANCED
METABOLISM

SEQUESTRATION
Major Herbicide Resistance Mechanisms

1. Target-site Mutation

• Each herbicide targets a specific site of the

enzyme in the cell (target-site) by binding to
it.

• e.g. Herbicide with MOA ACCase biosynthesis

inhibitors target the ACCase enzymes
(enzymes that synthesize fatty acid) by
binding to this enzymes making them lost
their function.
• To avoid phytotoxicity, the target enzyme changed
the target site structure so the herbicide can no
longer bind to them.

• Target-site mutation: a change in the binding site

that prevents the herbicide from binding or
interacting.

• The mutation/change can occur at one site (single-

site mutation) or several sites (multiple mutations),
since different herbicide MOA or sometimes even
herbicides with similar MOA have different binding
sites.
 Target-site mutation

Target enzyme Target enzyme

Herbicide

Resistance
weed

Target enzyme Target enzyme

2. Enhanced Herbicide Metabolism

• Metabolism – the herbicide is converted into a non-

toxic molecule before it reaches the target site.

• Resistant weeds = rapidly metabolize herbicide into

non-toxic molecules (enhanced metabolism).

• Susceptible weeds = slower rate of herbicide

metabolism, thus affected by herbicide, causing
phytotoxicity effect to weeds.
Enhanced herbicide metabolism
• Herbicides metabolized through 4 main phases:

a. Conversion (Phase I): herbicide molecules

converted/activated into less phytotoxic metabolites
(more hydrophilic) via oxidation, reduction, or hydrolysis.
Involved P450 enzymes.

b. Conjugation (Phase II): metabolites conjugated with

sugar or amino acids/peptides = increase water solubility
and even less phytotoxic. Involved Glutathione S-
transferases (GSTs), and Glycosyltransferases

c. Compartmentalization (Phase III) and Degradation (Phase

IV): Conjugated metabolites transported to the vacuole
by ABC transporters, & associated with cell wall
components
Why Care About Herbicide Resistance?

• Increase the cost of weed management.

• Reduce viable herbicide options.
• Loss of yield potential and income.

Herbicide

36
So how to avoid or reduce the risk and manage
Herbicide Resistance problem in weed
2 approaches:

1. When HR has yet to occur

• Use Herbicides as RECOMMENDED
• Herbicide Rotation
• Crop Rotation when possible
• Integrated Weed Management

2. When HR has developed

• Herbicide Rotation will keep the resistant population down.
• Maximize crop competition = cultural method. e.g. rice
• Use clean and certified crop seeds
• Clean farm machinery properly after using on HR field
Summary

• HR is a global issue, similar to R issues in other

pesticides and antibiotics.
• Alarming issue = can threat agricultural industry.
• ROTATE herbicide and INTEGRATE weed control
methods to avoid and manage HR.
• Need good science coupled with good agronomy and
good engineering to make it happen. YOU.
• Need well dedicated farmers to make it work a range
of practices.