The commercialization of a three-way transgenic sugar beet cultivar, engineered for resistance to glyphosate, glufosinate, and dicamba (hereafter referred to as “triple-stacked”) is anticipated by the mid-2020s. While offering potential benefits for growers facing glyphosate resistance, two of three herbicides (dicamba and glyphosate) to be utilized with triple-stacked sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) have previously been used on major weeds in western U.S. cropping systems, raising concerns about preexisting resistance to these active ingredients. We conducted a field survey in sugar beet–growing counties of southeast Montana and northwest Wyoming in fall 2021, before the sugar beet harvest. We collected kochia [Bassia scoparia (L.) A.J. Scott], redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.), and common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album L.) populations and screened them for glyphosate, glufosinate, and dicamba resistance in greenhouse conditions. Our results showed two-way resistance (glyphosate and dicamba) in 32% of B. scoparia populations and reduced susceptibility to glyphosate in 78% of C. album populations. Additionally, we conducted a greenhouse experiment to assess the emergence patterns of collected populations. Phylogenetically closely related B. scoparia and C. album showed higher resemblance in emergence pattern than the distant relative A. retroflexus. While the majority of B. scoparia and C. album populations emerged in <20 d (time required to reach 90% emergence [E90] < 20 d], A. retroflexus populations required >30 d to reach E90. Widespread glyphosate and dicamba resistance in B. scoparia populations raises concerns about the long-term feasibility of a triple-stacked sugar beet cultivar. Furthermore, the delayed emergence of A. retroflexus may enable it to evade early-season weed management.
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1 May 2025
Ecological, Evolutionary, and Management Implications of Sugar Beet Cropping Systems with Three Transgenic Herbicide-Resistance Traits
Het Samir Desai,
Fabian Menalled,
Todd A. Gaines,
Lovreet S. Shergill
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Weed Science
Vol. 73 • No. 1
January 2025
Vol. 73 • No. 1
January 2025
Amaranthus retroflexus
Bassia scoparia
Chenopodium album
dicamba
emergence dynamics
Glufosinate
Glyphosate