Weed Resistance in Cereals and Ways to Limit it

Abstract

Cereal cultivation has an irreplaceable place in agricultural production. Crops such as wheat and barley are subject to various pressures during their growth. A major challenge for growers is controlling weeds in cereal crops. The spectrum of weeds has expanded in recent years, and frequent reliance on chemical protection has led to another challenge in the form of weed resistance. In our study, we focused on the causes and mechanisms of resistance and supplemented these findings with an alternative strategy of mechanical treatment of crops at the beginning of the growing season and during the growing season. Among the reasons contributing to the development of resistance, we pointed out the excessive reliance on the same group of active substances and adherence to the dosage of active substances. The work specifically describes two different ways in which weed resistance occurs. It distinguishes between monogenic resistance, in which there is a change in the target site on which the active ingredient of the herbicide acts. The second type of resistance occurs outside the target site, resulting in multiple mutations, and is typical for herbicide resistance to the active ingredient glyphosate. As an alternative to chemical protection in weed control, we have introduced mechanical treatment of crops, which is also suitable for cereals that respond suitable to this method of control. Weed resistance as a common part of production will continue to require sensitive work with active ingredients, which will need to be chosen correctly, but it will also be important to alternate them when controlling dangerous species. As our work shows, it will be important to test and search for new ways to successfully control weeds.