The herbicide glyphosate became widely used in the United States and other parts of the world after the commercialization of glyphosate-resistant crops. These crops have constitutive overexpression of a glyphosate-insensitive form of the herbicide target site gene, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS). Increased use of glyphosate over multiple years imposes selective genetic pressure on weed populations. We investigated recently discovered glyphosate-resistant Amaranthus palmeri populations from Georgia, in comparison with normally sensitive populations. EPSPS enzyme activity from resistant and susceptible plants was equally inhibited by glyphosate, which led us to use quantitative PCR to measure relative copy numbers of the EPSPS gene. Genomes of resistant plants contained from 5-fold to more than 160-fold more copies of the EPSPS gene than did genomes of susceptible plants. Quantitative RT-PCR on cDNA revealed that EPSPS expression was positively correlated with genomic EPSPS relative copy number. Immunoblot analyses showed that increased EPSPS protein level also correlated with EPSPS genomic copy number. EPSPS gene amplification was heritable, correlated with resistance in pseudo-F 2 populations, and is proposed to be the molecular basis of glyphosate resistance. FISH revealed that EPSPS genes were present on every chromosome and, therefore, gene amplification was likely not caused by unequal chromosome crossing over. This occurrence of gene amplification as an herbicide resistance mechanism in a naturally occurring weed population is particularly significant because it could threaten the sustainable use of glyphosate-resistant crop technology.5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase | herbicide resistance | mobile genetic element | evolution | Palmer amaranth

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Following 15 yr of successful use, glyphosate failed to control a population of the widespread grass weed rigid ryegrass in Australia. This population proved to be resistant to glyphosate in pot dose-response experiments conducted outdoors, exhibiting 7- to 11-fold resistance when compared to a susceptible population. Some cross-resistance to diclofop-methyl (about 2.5-fold) was also observed. Similar levels of control of the resistant and susceptible populations were obtained following application of amitrole, chlorsulfuron, fluazifop-P-butyl, paraquat, sethoxydim, sirnazine, or tralkoxydim. The presence of glyphosate resistance in a major weed species indicates a need for changes in glyphosate use patterns.

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There is considerable public and scientific debate for and against genetically modified (GM) crops. One of the first GM crops, Brassica napus (oilseed rape or canola) is now widely grown in North America, with proposed commercial release into Australia and Europe. Among concerns of opponents to these crops are claims that pollen movement will cause unacceptable levels of gene flow from GM to non-GM crops or to related weedy species, resulting in genetic pollution of the environment. Therefore, quantifying pollen-mediated gene flow is vital for assessing the environmental impact of GM crops. This study quantifies at a landscape level the gene flow that occurs from herbicide-resistant canola crops to nearby crops not containing herbicide resistance genes.

Resistance to the herbicide glyphosate is currently known in at least eight weed species from many countries. Some populations of goosegrass from Malaysia, rigid ryegrass from Australia, and Italian ryegrass from Chile exhibit target site–based resistance to glyphosate through changes at amino acid 106 of the 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) gene. Mutations change amino acid 106 from proline to either serine or threonine, conferring an EPSPS weakly resistant to glyphosate. The moderate level of resistance is sufficient for commercial failure of the herbicide to control these plants in the field. Conversely, a nontarget site resistance mechanism has been documented in glyphosate-resistant populations of horseweed and rigid ryegrass from the United States and Australia, respectively. In these resistant plants, there is reduced translocation of glyphosate to meristematic tissues. Both of these mechanisms are inherited as a single, nuclear gene trait. Although at present only two glyphosate-resistance mechanisms are known, it is likely that other mechanisms will become evident. The already very large and still increasing reliance on glyphosate in many parts of the world will inevitably result in more glyphosate-resistant weeds, placing the sustainability of this precious herbicide resource at risk.

Herbicide resistance in rigid ryegrass is an escalating problem in grain-cropping fields of southeastern Australia due to increased reliance on herbicides as the main method for weed control. Weed surveys were conducted between 1998 and 2009 to identify the extent of herbicide-resistant rigid ryegrass across this region to dinitroaniline, and acetolactate synthase- and acetyl coenzyme A (CoA) carboxylase-inhibiting herbicides. Rigid ryegrass was collected from cropped fields chosen at random. Outdoor pot studies were conducted during the normal winter growing season for rigid ryegrass with PRE-applied trifluralin and POST-applied diclofop-methyl, chlorsulfuron, tralkoxydim, pinoxaden, and clethodim. Herbicide resistance to trifluralin in rigid ryegrass was identified in one-third of the fields surveyed from South Australia, whereas less than 5% of fields in Victoria exhibited resistance. In contrast, resistance to chlorsulfuron was detected in at least half of the cropped fields across southeastern Australia. Resistance to the cereal-selective aryloxyphenoxypropionate-inhibiting herbicides diclofop-methyl, tralkoxydim, and pinoxaden ranged between 30 and 60% in most regions, whereas in marginal cropping areas less than 12% of fields exhibited resistance. Resistance to clethodim varied between 0 and 61%. Higher levels of resistance to clethodim were identified in the more intensively cropped, higher-rainfall districts where pulse and canola crops are common. These weed surveys demonstrated that a high incidence of resistance to most tested herbicides was present in rigid ryegrass from cropped fields in southeastern Australia, which presents a major challenge for crop producers.