A Biotype of Goosegrass (Eleusine indica) With an Intermediate Level of Dinitroaniline Herbicide Resistance

Abstract

Two kinds of dinitroaniline-resistant biotypes of goosegrass have been found in counties in South Carolina where trifluralin is used for weed control. One biotype, termed the resistant (R) biotype, resists trifluralin about 1000- to 10 000-fold. The other biotype is intermediate (I) in resistance between the R and susceptible (S) biotypes, resisting trifluralin about 50-fold. Growth studies and root tip squashes were used to determine the level of resistance to other dinitroaniline herbicides. The R biotype is cross resistant to all dinitroaniline herbicides, and the I biotype is highly resistant to some and is resistant to others only at a low level. The cross resistance of the I biotype to other dinitroaniline herbicides does not correlate with structural or solubility characteristics of the herbicides. Electron microscopic investigations indicate that cell plate formation (controlled by phragmoplast microtubule arrays) is affected at lower herbicide concentrations than spindle microtubule formations. The level of herbicide resistance, the pattern of cross resistance, and the ultrastructural effects induced by the herbicide indicate that the I biotype has a unique mechanism of resistance from the R biotype.