Critical Next Steps in Combating Herbicide Resistance: Our View

• Published in: Weed science 2018-09, Vol.66 (5), p.559-561
• Main Authors: Shaw, David R, Barrett, Michael, Schroeder, Jill, Asmus, Amy B, Ervin, David, Jussaume, Raymond A, Coble, Harold
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural practices; Crop rotation; Cropping systems; Economics; Education; Educational materials; Environmental conditions; Government regulations; Herbicide resistance; Herbicides; Listening; MY VIEW; Public policy; Registration; Regulation; Regulatory agencies; Science; Scientists; Seasons; Stakeholders; Weed control; Weeds
• ISSN: 0043-1745; 1550-2759; 1550-2759
• DOI: 10.1017/wsc.2018.42

The Herbicide Resistance Education Committee of the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA), with the help of local weed scientists and professional facilitators, held listening sessions in seven agricultural regions in 2016 to 2017 to gather information from invited participants in an effort to understand the grassroots concerns and challenges of these stakeholders, including cropping systems, environmental conditions, and economic, social, and regulatory constraints. Participants: 1. wanted new herbicides, especially those with new mechanisms of action (MOAs); 2. believed there is no need for more government regulation of herbicides; 3. stated that crop rotation options, as well as diverse integrated weed management options, are necessary for herbicide resistance management (HRM), but achieving such diversity in weed management and cropping systems is difficult at best; 4. said that the current agricultural economy makes it difficult to implement best management practices; and 5. were aware of HR but were managing it and were panicking. Awareness of the Challenge First, it is widely recognized within the weed science community that any new herbicide is, at best, a number of years away. [...]we must initiate a clearly articulated national educational effort to explain the scientific, economic, and regulatory challenges to discovery of a new herbicide, as well as the length of time it takes to bring a new discovery to the market. The spread of HR has demonstrated that the concerns expressed in the listening sessions about probable movement of resistance from others, both neighbors and those farther away, are quite valid. Since this is the case, it is critical that we start a discussion now on how we can create various forms of community-based cooperative efforts to limit this spread.