Resistance of Common Cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium) to the Organic Arsenical Herbicides

The presence of a common cocklebur (Xanthium strumariumL. # XANST) population resistant to organic arsenical herbicides was confirmed in three adjoining counties of South Carolina's ten-county cotton-growing region, but little evidence of resistance was found in the remaining seven counties. This population was resistant to both disodium salt of methylarsonic acid (DSMA) and monosodium salt of methylarsonic acid (MSMA) but not to herbicides from nine other chemical groups. A much greater level of resistance was apparent in the field than under greenhouse conditions and larger plants were more resistant than small plants.