Herbicide Resistance in Weeds
Herbicide Resistance in WeedsHerbicide resistant weeds and managing them is certainly a challenge for today's farmers, but herbicide tolerant weeds is not new, in fact, the first reports date back to the 1970's. North Dakota State University Extension Agent, Chandra Langseth, explains how that resistance occurs.
"Weed resistance to herbicides is a naturally occurring process. Think natural selection. There is this bio type that exists that has unique characteristics in our weed population that make them less susceptible to a particular herbicide. It is important to note that herbicides themselves don't cause resistance but how we use them can help accelerate that resistance. If a weed is resistant to a particular herbicide, that means it can withstand being sprayed with Roundup and will live through that application."
Many factors can determine how that resistance will occur.