The National Resesarch Council and Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) are pooling resources to address the growing threat of weed herbicide resistance in a May 10 event at George Washington University in Washington, D. C.

“A significant contributing factor in the evolution of resistance is the repeated use of a single herbicide mode of action,” says David Shaw, former WSSA president in a WSSA report. "To counter this dangerous trend, we need to move to integrated weed management programs that incorporate a variety of other control methods.  Doing so can help us preserve crop yields, herbicide effectiveness and the sustainability of vital agricultural production systems.”

Other WSSA scientists on the program include:

• Michael Owen, professor of agronomy at Iowa State University, who will speak on the nature of herbicide resistance in weeds.

• Jodie Holt, professor of plant physiology at the University of California-Riverside, who will speak on the epidemiology of herbicide resistance.

• Stephen Powles, professor of weed science at the University of Western Australia, who will discuss what his country is doing to combat herbicide resistance.

• Harold Coble, agronomist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service, who will speak on ways to address the pressing problem of herbicide resistance.

• Dale Shaner, plant physiologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, who will participate in a panel discussion on impediments to the use of best management practices.

• John Soteres of Monsanto Company, chairman of the Herbicide Resistance Action Committee, who will participate on a panel discussing ways to encourage the adoption of best management practices.

Last fall WSSA introduced a free training program on herbicide resistance that is tailored for pesticide applicators, growers, agrichemical retailers, farm consultants and other industry stakeholders. The peer-reviewed materials are currently available here.

For more information on the weed resistance summit meeting, click here.