A perspective of herbicide-resistant weeds and management options: A Review

Abstract

In crop lands around the globe, various interventions for weed suppression are used and among them are chemicals which are widely recommended for weed control. This paper will try to bring forth ideas that can be integrated into the development of herbicide resistance. Chemical herbicides have been known to affect weed fitness, ecosystem and the diversity of their community changes over a period of time in response to both herbicides and other intervention strategies imposed on them. Regular application of the herbicides with same active ingredients and site of action repeatedly and intensively has the potential to swiftly result in population that is more tolerant, and difficult to suppress, this will ultimately result in weed community that is herbicide resistant, particularly in absence of using herbicides with different modes of action. Appropriate herbicide resistance management practices should be adopted to avoid resistance emerging to the new active ingredients as well. Generally, farmers prefer to use one active ingredient that still provides proper weed control on susceptible species while adding a second active ingredient to suppress weeds that develop resistant instead of taking a more economical strategy. Therefore, there is need for concerted efforts and more work to be done by both weed experts and evolutionary biologists towards an improvement and broader knowledge with regard to resistant development in plants. This collaboration is cardinal in offering innovative and tangible solutions to the herbicide resistance challenges being faced by the world.