Multiple Resistance in Palmer Amaranth to Glyphosate and Pyrithiobac Confirmed in Georgia

In 2006, Palmer amaranth with confirmed resistance to glyphosate (GLY-R) was not controlled effectively in cotton with pyrithiobac, an acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicide. Glyphosate at 870 g ae ha(-1) or pyrithiobac at 70 g ai ha(-1) applied postemergence provided 5 to 28% control of a putative GLY/ALS-R Palmer amaranth biotype in the field. Glyphosate at 6,930 g ha(-1) and pyrithiobac at 420 g ha(-1) applied alone provided no more than 89 and 65% control 1 to 8 wk after treatment (WAT), respectively. When applied as a tank mixture, glyphosate plus pyrithiobac at 870 + 70 g ha(-1) provided between 16 and 41% control; glyphosate plus pyrithiobac at 6,930 + 420 g ha(-1) controlled the Palmer amaranth in the field 89 to 95%. Dose-response analyses developed from greenhouse data indicated that the estimated glyphosate rates required to produce 50% injury and reduce plant fresh weights by 50% relative to the nontreated control in a suspected GLY/ALS-R Palmer amaranth biotype were 12 and 14 times greater, respectively, than the estimated values for the susceptible (S) biotype. The predicted pyrithiobac rates required to produce the same responses in the putative resistant population were 151 (50% injury) and 563 times (50% fresh weight reduction) greater than the estimated rates for the S biotype. Field and greenhouse analyses confirm that the Palmer amaranth biotype evaluated in both studies is resistant to glyphosate and an ALS-inhibiting herbicide.