Overview of the University of Tennessee Weed Diagnostics Center.

The Weed Diagnostics Center (WDC) is a new diagnostic arm of the University of Tennessee (UT) Institute of Agriculture opening in 2016.  An initiative supported by both the UT Office of AgResearch and UT Extension, the mission of this Center is to provide end-users from across the United States diagnostic tests tailored to weeds of crop production systems as well as turf, ornamentals, and urban landscapes.  Serving both the consumer and professional industries, specialists at the WDC incorporate both whole plant and molecular methods to provide a wide range of diagnostic services from basic weed identification to tests confirming herbicide resistance via DNA sequencing.  The WDC can currently evaluate weeds for resistance to herbicidal inhibitors of acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACCase), acetolactate synthase (ALS), cellular mitosis, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase, photosystem II, and protoporphyrinogen oxidase. Work is on going to expand services to test other modes of action and develop more rapid methods of resistance testing. The WDC is also home to an additional suite of services specific to bermudagrasses (Cynodon spp.) used on golf course putting greens. All WDC test results are complemented with research-based control recommendations to promote proper weed management practices in the field. Additional information about the WDC can be found online at www.weeddiagnostics.org, or by contacting weeddiagnostics@utk.edu. More information on the WDC can also be accessed via Twitter (@WeedDiagnostics) and Instagram (@weeddiagnostics).