Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 June 2017
The WEED-PAM® is a chlorophyll fluorescence sensor. It has already been applied in the detection of herbicide resistant Alopecurus mysuroides populations with promising results. Yet more work needs to be done in order to validate the system’s capabilities in different species. In this study, field experiments were conducted at three sites to clarify the capability of this sensor to detect herbicide resistant Apera spica-venti populations. The plants were treated with five different herbicides: three ALS-, one ACCase- and one PS II- inhibitor. Five days after the herbicide treatment, sensor data were gathered. These data were compared with a visual assessment, performed 21 days after the herbicide application. The populations that exhibited a strong resistance to the ALS and PS II inhibitors could be differentiated from the sensitive ones. Yet the Apera spica-venti population with a low resistance level to the ACCase inhibitors cannot be differentiated from the sensitive population.