Register      Login
Crop and Pasture Science Crop and Pasture Science Society
Plant sciences, sustainable farming systems and food quality
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Distribution and frequency of herbicide-resistant wild oat (Avena spp.) across the Western Australian grain belt

Mechelle J. Owen A B and Stephen B. Powles A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: mowen@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Crop and Pasture Science 60(1) 25-31 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP08178
Submitted: 27 May 2008  Accepted: 24 October 2008   Published: 5 January 2009

Abstract

In 2005, a random survey was conducted across 14 million hectares of the Western Australian grain belt to establish the frequency and distribution of herbicide-resistant wild oat (Avena spp.) in cropping fields. In total, 677 cropping fields were visited, with wild oat populations collected from 150 fields. These wild oat populations were screened with several herbicides commonly used to control this weed. Most of the wild oat populations (71%) were found to contain individuals resistant to the ACCase-inhibiting herbicide diclofop-methyl. Resistance to other ACCase-inhibiting herbicides was markedly lower. Herbicides of alternative modes of action were effective on all wild oat populations. Overall, wild oat resistance to diclofop-methyl was found to be widespread across the Western Australian grain belt, but resistance to other herbicides was relatively low. Therefore, through diversity in herbicide use and with cultural management, it is possible to maintain wild oat populations at a low level and/or minimise herbicide resistance evolution.

Additional keywords: resistance survey, resistance evolution.


Acknowledgments

We thank WAHRI staff and in particular Roslyn Owen, Aaron Gates, Emma Glasfurd, and Fiona Van Rijnswoud, who provided invaluable technical assistance in many areas of the research that contributed to this paper. We are grateful to the GRDC for providing funding for this research.


References


Allard RW (1996) Genetic basis of the evolution of adaptedness in plants. Euphytica 92, 1–11.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Beckie HJ, Hall LM, Meers S, Laslo JJ, Stevenson FC (2004) Management practices influencing herbicide resistance in wild oat. Weed Technology 18, 853–859.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Beckie HJ, Leeson JY, Thomas AG, Brenzil CA, Hall LM, Holzgang G, Lozinski C, Shirriff S (2008) Weed resistance monitoring in the Canadian prairies. Weed Technology 22, 530–543.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Beckie HJ, Thomas AG, Legere A, Kelner DJ, Van Acker RC, Meers S (1999) Nature, occurrence, and cost of herbicide-resistant wild oat (Avena fatua) in small-grain production areas. Weed Technology 13, 612–625. open url image1

Broster JC (2004) A population of wild oats (Avena ludoviciana Durieu) resistant to flamprop-m-methyl. In ‘Proceedings of the 14th Australian Weeds Conference: Weed Management—Balancing People, Planet, Profit’. Wagga Wagga, NSW. (Eds BM Sindel, SB Johnson) pp. 432–433. (Weed Society of NSW Inc.)

Broster JC , Pratley JE , Slater PD , Medd RW (1998) Herbicide resistance in wild oats in southern New South Wales. In ‘Proceedings of the 9th Australian Agronomy Conference’. pp. 579–582. (The Australian Society of Agronomy: Wagga Wagga, NSW)

Devine MD (1997) Mechanisms of resistance to acetyl-Coenzyme A carboxylase inhibitors: a review. Pesticide Science 51, 259–264.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Friesen LF, Jones TL, Van Acker RC, Morrison IN (2000) Identification of Avena fatua populations resistant to imazamethabenz, flamprop, and fenoxaprop-P. Weed Science 48, 532–540.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Heap IM (2008) International survey of herbicide resistant weeds. Herbicide Resistance Action Committee and Weed Science Society of America. Available at: www.weedscience.com

Jones R, Medd R (1997) Economic analysis of integrated management of wild oats involving fallow, herbicide and crop rotational options. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 37, 683–691.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Kern AJ, Peterson DM, Miller EK, Colliver CC, Dyer WE (1996) Triallate resistance in Avena fatua L. is due to reduced herbicide activation. Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology 56, 163–173.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Legere A, Beckie HJ, Stevenson FC, Thomas AG (2000) Survey of management practices affecting the occurrence of wild oat (Avena fatua) resistance to acetyl-CoA carboxylase inhibitors. Weed Technology 14, 366–376.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Llewellyn RS, Powles SB (2001) High levels of herbicide resistance in rigid ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) in the wheat belt of Western Australia. Weed Technology 15, 242–248.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Maneechote C, Holtum JAM, Preston C, Powles SB (1994) Resistant Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase is a mechanism of herbicide resistance in a biotype of Avena sterilis ssp. ludoviciana. Plant & Cell Physiology 35, 627–635.
CAS |
open url image1

Maneechote C, Preston C, Powles S (1997) A diclofop-methyl resistant Avena sterilis biotype with a herbicide resistant acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase and enhanced metabolism of diclofop-methyl. Pesticide Science 49, 105–114.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Mansooji AM, Holtum JAM, Boutsalis P, Matthews JM, Powles SB (1992) Resistance to aryloxyphenoxypropionate herbicides in two wild oat species (Avena fatua and Avena sterilis ssp. ludoviciana). Weed Science 40, 599–605.
CAS |
open url image1

Medd RW, Pandey S (1990) Estimating the cost of wild oats (Avena spp.) in the Australian wheat industry. Plant Protection Quarterly 5, 142–144. open url image1

Mengistu LM, Messersmith CG, Christoffers MJ (2003) Diversity of herbicide resistance among wild oat sampled 36 yr apart. Weed Science 51, 764–773.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Murray BG, Morrison AN, Friesen LF (2002) Pollen-mediated gene flow in wild oat. Weed Science 50, 321–325.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Nietschke BS , Llewellyn RS , Reeves TG , Matthews JM , Powles SB (1996) Herbicide resistance in wild oats and annual ryegrass. In ‘Proceedings of the 8th Australian Agronomy Conference’. (Ed. M Ashgar) p. 691. (The Australian Society of Agronomy: Toowoomba, Qld)

Owen MJ, Walsh MJ, Llewellyn R, Powles SB (2007) Widespread occurrence of multiple herbicide resistance in Western Australian annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) populations. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 58, 711–718.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Paterson JG (1974) The distribution and ecology of wild oats (Avena spp.) in the agricultural environment of Western Australia. PhD Thesis, The University of Western Australia, Australia.

Paterson JG (1976) The distribution of Avena species naturalized in Western Australia. Journal of Applied Biology 13, 257–264. open url image1

Paterson JG, Goodchild NA, Boyd WJR (1976) Effect of storage temperature, storage duration and germination temperature on the dormancy of seed of Avena fatua L. and Avena barbata. Pott ex Link. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 27, 373–379.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Powles SB , Matthews JM (1992) Multiple herbicide resistance in annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum): a driving force for the adoption of integrated weed management. In ‘Resistance ’91: achievements and developments in combating pesticide resistance’. (Eds I Denholm, AL Devonshire, DW Hollomon) pp. 75–87. (Elsevier Publishing: Amsterdam)

Tardif FJ, Powles SB (1994) Herbicide multiple-resistance in a Lolium rigidum biotype is endowed by multiple mechanisms: isolation of a subset with resistant acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Physiologia Plantarum 91, 488–494.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Thill DC, Mallory-Smith CA (1997) The nature and consequence of weed spread in cropping systems. Weed Science 45, 337–342.
CAS |
open url image1

Uludag A, Nemli Y, Tal A, Rubin B (2007) Fenoxaprop resistance in sterile wild oat (Avena sterilis) in wheat fields in Turkey. Crop Protection 26, 930–935.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Walsh MJ, Owen MJ, Powles SB (2007) Frequency and distribution of herbicide resistance in Raphanus raphanistrum populations randomly collected across the Western Australia wheatbelt. Weed Research 47, 542–550.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Wenjie L , Harrison D , O’Donnell C , Adkins S , Williams R (2004) Molecular characterisation of resistance to ACCase-inhibiting herbicides in wild oat in the northern grain-growing region of Australia. In ‘Proceedings of the 14th Australian Weeds Conference: Weed Management—Balancing People, Planet, Profit’. Wagga Wagga, NSW. (Eds BM Sindel, SB Johnson) pp. 421–424. (Weed Society of NSW Inc.)

Whalley RDB, Burfitt JM (1972) Ecotypic variation in Avena fatua L., A. sterilis L. (A. ludoviviana), and A. barbarta Pott. in New South Wales and Southern Queensland. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 23, 799–810.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Yu Q, Collavo A, Zheng M, Owen MJ, Sattin M, Powles SB (2007) Diversity of acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase mutations in resistant Lolium populations: evaluation using clethodim. Plant Physiology 145, 547–558.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed | open url image1