The ability of weed populations to evolve resistance to herbicides affects management strategies and the profitability of crop production. The objective of this research was to screen Palmer amaranth accessions from Arkansas for glufosinate resistance. Additional efforts focused on the effectiveness of various herbicides, across multiple sites of action (SOAs), on each putative-resistant accession. The three putative accessions were selected from 60 Palmer amaranth accessions collected in 2019 and 2020 and screened with to 0.5× and 1× rates of glufosinate. A dose-response experiment was conducted for glufosinate on accessions A2019, A2020, and B2020. The effectiveness of various preemergence- and postemergence-applied herbicides were evaluated on each accession. Resistance ratios of A2019, A2020, and B2020 to glufosinate ranged from 5.1 to 27.4 when comparing LD50 values to two susceptible accessions, thus all three accessions were resistant to glufosinate. All three accessions (A2019, A2020, and B2020) were found to have a reduction equal to or greater than 20 percentage points in mortality to at least one herbicide from five different SOAs equal to or greater than five sites of action. Herbicides from nine different SOAs controlled A2019 at least 20 percentage points less than the susceptible accessions, which points to a need for additional research to characterize the response of this accession.

Three field experiments were conducted in 2010 and 2012 in a soybean production field near West Memphis, AR, containing glyphosate-resistant johnsongrass. The goal of this research was to develop effective herbicide programs for glyphosate-resistant johnsongrass in glufosinate-resistant soybean. Control of the resistant johnsongrass was greater with glufosinate at 590 and 740 g ai ha−1 than at 450 g ha−1. Sequential glufosinate applications were more effective than a single application, irrespective of rate. A PRE application of flumioxazin at 71 g ai ha−1 immediately after planting provided no more than 26% johnsongrass control 6 wk after soybean emergence (WAE). The addition of clethodim at 136 g ai ha−1 to sequential applications of glufosinate at 450 g ha−1 improved control over sequentially applied glufosinate alone. Herbicide programs containing imazethapyr or imazamox in combination with glufosinate followed by clethodim plus glufosinate controlled johnsongrass at least 94% at 10 WAE and provided three distinct mechanisms of action, a highly effective resistance management strategy. Results from this research indicate that a high level of glyphosate-resistant johnsongrass control can be achieved through the use of several herbicide options in glufosinate-resistant soybean.

Atrazine is an important herbicide for broadleaf weed control in corn. Use rates have declined in many corn production systems due to environmental concerns and the availability of other effective herbicides, especially glyphosate in glyphosate-resistant hybrids. However, using multiple effective herbicide modes of action is ever more important because occurrence of herbicide-resistant weeds is increasing. An experiment to compare application timings of reduced rates of atrazine to benefit resistance management in broadleaf weeds while protecting corn yield was conducted in Wisconsin across four site-years in 2012 and 2013. Herbicide treatments consisted of five atrazine rate and timing combinations and three POST base herbicides: glyphosate, glufosinate, and tembotrione. Metolachlor was applied PRE at 2.1 kg ai ha−1 for grass control in all treatments. A linear regression model estimated that atrazine rates ≥ 1.0 kg ai ha−1 applied PRE would prevent exposure of common lambsquarters plants to POST herbicides, but giant ragweed and velvetleaf exposure was not influenced by timing. Corn yield was also not influenced by atrazine rate and timing combinations at the α = 0.05 level; however, at P = 0.06, corn yield was greater for atrazine applied PRE at 1.1 kg ha−1 than for atrazine applied PRE at 0.5 kg ha−1, POST at 1.1 kg ha−1, or not at all. In summary, higher rates of atrazine applied PRE may improve yield, as reported by others, but this study concludes reduced rates of atrazine (i.e., ≤ 1.1 kg ha−1) applied to corn in a POST tank mixture combination provided more consistent control of giant ragweed, velvetleaf, and common lambsquarters compared with atrazine applied PRE. This information should help direct atrazine application timing applied POST when applied at low rates to improve proactive herbicide resistance management.