The transfer of herbicide resistance genes from crops to related species is one of the greatest risks of growing herbicide-resistant crops. The recent introductions of imidazolinone-resistant wheat in the Great Plains and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States and research on transgenic glyphosate-resistant wheat have raised concerns about the transfer of herbicide resistance from wheat to jointed goatgrass via introgressive hybridization. Field experiments were conducted from 2000 to 2003 at three locations in Washington and Idaho to determine the frequency and distance that imidazolinone-resistant wheat can pollinate jointed goatgrass and produce resistant F1 hybrids. Each experiment was designed as a Nelder wheel with 16 equally spaced rays extending away from a central pollen source of ‘Fidel-FS4’ imidazolinone-resistant wheat. Each ray was 46 m long and contained three rows of jointed goatgrass. Spikelets were collected at maturity at 1.8-m intervals along each ray and subjected to an imazamox screening test. The majority of all jointed goatgrass seeds tested were not resistant to imazamox; however, 5 and 15 resistant hybrids were found at the Pullman, WA, and Lewiston, ID, locations, respectively. The resistant plants were identified at a maximum distance of 40.2 m from the pollen source. The overall frequency of imazamox-resistant hybrids was similar to the predicted frequency of naturally occurring acetolactate synthase resistance in weeds; however, traits with a lower frequency of spontaneous mutations may have a relatively greater risk for gene escape via introgressive hybridization.

Since 1995, canola cultivars with herbicide resistance (HR) have been readily adopted by Canadian producers. Gene flow between these cultivars with different HR traits has led to the occurrence of double herbicide–resistant (2HR) volunteers. To evaluate the fitness of canola volunteers with double HR, we compared three 2HR combinations to each of their parent single-HR plants (1HR: glufosinate-R, imidazolinone-R, glyphosate-R) commercial canola lines in separate greenhouse experiments. The replacement series design included five ratios of 2HR vs. 1HR plants at a single density of 129 plants m−2 and three stress treatments: herbicide application with either glufosinate, imazethapyr, or glyphosate; competition with a wheat crop; and a control without herbicide or wheat competition. Fitness indicators included aboveground biomass at 5 and 12 to 16 wk, seed production, and reproductive allocation. The 2HR plants showed delayed reproductive growth but were generally as competitive as 1HR commercial lines. Plant biomass of 2HR canola was comparable to or greater than 1HR canola, whereas seed biomass of 2HR canola was less than that of 1HR canola in half of the cases, likely because of delayed reproductive growth and early harvesting. Glufosinate–glyphosate 2HR was the fittest combination. Herbicide application had little effect on 2HR biomass at harvest, except for imazethapyr, which reduced the biomass and seed production of 2HR plants with imidazolinone-glyphosate resistance by 30%. The latter effect could have been from the unsuspected presence of 2HR plants with only one of the two acetolactate synthase mutations conferring resistance to imidazolinones. Wheat competition reduced fitness values of both 2HR and 1HR canola similarly, but seed production was still 64% that of the controls. Overall, there was little indication of reduced fitness in 2HR canola compared with commercial 1HR varieties.

Volunteer crops resistant to glyphosate and other herbicides pose a potential problem for Pacific Northwest (PNW) growers that rely on glyphosate for control of volunteer crops and weeds during fallow and before planting. Herbicides for control of volunteer herbicide-resistant wheat and canola in PNW conservation tillage systems were evaluated during 2000 and 2001 near Ralston, WA, and Moscow, ID. Paraquat + diuron controlled glyphosate- and imidazolinone-resistant wheat ≥90%, and glyphosate controlled imidazolinone-resistant wheat 88 to 96% 14 d after treatment (DAT). Glyphosate- and imidazolinone-resistant wheat were controlled only 58 to 85% with quizalofop-P and clethodim 14 DAT. By 21 DAT, imidazolinone-resistant wheat control with clethodim and quizalofop-P was ≥93%, but the longer time period required for control to reach an acceptable level could increase disease and insect problems associated with volunteer wheat. Volunteer glyphosate-resistant canola was controlled 92 and 97% 14 DAT and 76 and 98% 21 DAT with paraquat and paraquat + diuron, respectively. Treatments that contained glyphosate controlled imidazolinone- and glufosinate-resistant canola >84% 14 DAT. By 21 DAT, control of imidazolinone- and glufosinate-resistant canola was 94 to 98% with paraquat + diuron and all glyphosate treatments, except glyphosate–isopropylamine salt (IPA) + glufosinate (88 to 93%) and glyphosate-IPA + paraquat (67 to 85%). In these studies, paraquat + diuron was the best alternative to glyphosate for controlling volunteer herbicide-resistant wheat and canola.