History of Identification of Herbicide-Resistant Weeds

At least 57 weed species, including both dicots and monocots, have been reported to have biotypes selected for resistance to the triazine herbicides. In addition, at least 47 species have been reported to have biotypes resistant to one or more of 14 other herbicides or herbicide families. These herbicides include the aryloxyphenoxypropionics, bipyridiliums, dinitroanilines, phenoxys, substituted areas, and sulfonylureas, with two or more resistant biotypes each, as well as several other herbicides in which resistance is less well documented. Although evolved resistance presents a serious problem for chemical weed control, it has also offered new potential for transferring herbicide resistance to crop species. Mechanisms of resistance that are due to single or a few genes have become the focus of biotechnology, as the probability of their successful transfer to crop species is high.