Glebionis coronaria (L.) Cass. ex Spach is a troublesome weed in cereal cropping systems in northern Tunisia. Recently, failures in controlling this weed have been reported by farmers. Field surveys and farmers interviews were conducted to highlight the potential causes of G. coronaria occurrence and the associated yield losses in wheat. Survey results revealed a significant correlation between farmers’ awareness of resistance occurrence and cultural practices, mainly sowing date and tillage, while G. coronaria abundance was related to the lack of herbicide rotation and the frequency of ALS-inhibiting herbicide use. High G. coronaria infestations (more than 20 plants/m2) caused a significant decrease in wheat grain yield, reaching almost 75% at a density of 100 plants/m2. Field and pot experiments showed low efficacies of ALS-inhibiting herbicides to control G. coronaria populations. The application of field rates of tribenuron-methyl and mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron failed to control the tested populations, and generally, G. coronaria dry weight increased compared to nontreated ones (potential hormetic effect). These findings were further investigated in two selected resistant populations through tribenuron dose–response experiments, plants from both populations exhibited high resistance factors (greater than 300), surviving up to 16-fold the recommended field dose. This is the first report for G. coronaria resistance occurrence to ALS-inhibiting herbicides in Tunisia and the second case worldwide.
Glebionis coronaria (L.) Cass. ex Spach is one of the most serious weeds in cereal crops in Northern Tunisia. Our previous studies have confirmed the presence of resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides in G. coronaria, showing the evolution of cross-resistance through TS and NTS mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of (i) two tillage practices (conventional tillage and reduced tillage), (ii) three known allelopathic crops: Hordeum vulgare L. (Barley), Brassica napus L. (Rapeseed) and Triticum durum (Wheat) and (iii) herbicides belonging to different modes of action on the density, the cohort numbers and the growth of an ALS-inhibiting cross-resistant population of G. coronaria. Field experiments were conducted in two consecutive years (2017–2018 and 2018–2019) in the Fritissa-Mateur-Bizerte region. Our results revealed that barley considerably contributed to the decrease in G. coronaria’s density, cohort number, total biomass accumulation and plant height. The effect of rapeseed is likely dependent on the tillage practice and the timing of herbicide application, while G. coronaria could be successfully controlled in wheat using auxin herbicides. It is suggested that the management of resistant population of G. coronaria could be achieved by combining barely or rapeseed with right tillage practice and auxin herbicides’ application.
There is a growing interest in the Mediterranean regions to switch to conservation agriculture (CA) to address climate change and soil deterioration issues. The novelty of this study lies in the quality of the supply chain, from the raw material (durum wheat grain) to the ready-to-sell product (spaghetti), under long-term CA, and using two varieties over two years of study. This study aims to investigate the impact of two soil management systems (SM) (CA after 10/11 (since 2009–2010) years switching vs. conventional tillage (CT)) on grain quality, dough texture profile, and pasta quality of two Tunisian durum wheat varieties (Karim and Monastir) in a 2-year-long experiment (2019 and 2020). The results showed that the SM had a significant impact on the grain quality in both years in terms of protein content and wet gluten, which were, respectively, lower under CA (11.92% vs. 11.15% for protein content) and (18.75% vs. 17.68% for wet gluten) in the wet year. These parameters increased in the dry year but they were higher under CA (15.70% vs. 14.42 ± 0.94% for protein content) and (26.00% vs. 23.20% for wet gluten). These results have, in turn, affected the dough quality (springiness, chewiness, and cohesiveness) and pasta cooking time and decreased the pasta cooking loss and water absorption index. In terms of the variety (V) factor, “Karim” variety in the dry year had a higher protein content and better dough quality than “Monastir” variety, and it reduced the pasta cooking time. In addition, the pasta yellow index (b*) from grains grown under CA was always higher than those in the CT system (23.99 vs. 19.72% and 25.24 vs. 22.19% in 2019 and 2020, respectively). The interaction between SM and V was significant in both years only for the dough hardness and pasta b* parameters. In conclusion, long-term CA may be a crucial solution in the dry season to promote food quality and achieve sustainable agriculture goals.
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