Success from adversity: Herbicide resistance can drive changes to sustainable weed management systems

In recent years, multiple resistance to selective herbicides in the grass weed Lolium rigidum has become a problem on thousands of southern Australian farms. Multiple resistance, across a wide range of the commonly used selective herbicides, threatens the productivity and sustainability of cropping systems. Multiple resistance has dented the illusion of the invincibility of herbicides to control weed species and exposed the need to develop more integrated weed management strategies. However, paradoxically, the advent of widespread multiple resistance has provided a driving force which has resulted in the development of integrated weed management strategies which are less herbicide reliant. Successful integrated management strategies utilise herbicides and a range of agronomic and cultural techniques to manage weed populations. Experience reveals that integrated strategies, embracing but not wholly herbicide-dependent, can be cost-effective and sustainable. Such integrated strategies are necessary to preserve the continued efficacy of herbicides in the long term.