Navigating a Critical Juncture for Sustainable Weed Management.

Agricultural weed management has become entrenched in a single tactic (herbicide resistant crops) and needs greater emphasis on integrated practices sustainable over the long term. Responding to the outbreak of glyphosate resistant weeds, the seed and agrichemical industries are developing crops genetically modified with combined resistance to glyphosate and the synthetic auxin herbicides. This technology will allow these herbicides to be used over vastly expanded areas and will likely create three interrelated challenges for sustainable weed management. First, stacked herbicide resistant crops are likely to increase the severity of resistant weeds. Second, these crops will facilitate a significant increase in herbicide use, with potential negative consequences for environmental quality. Finally, the short-term fix provided by the new traits will encourage continued neglect for public research and extension in integrated weed management. We end underscoring the centrality of integrated weed management as an alternative, robust and sustainable path forward.