Agricultural weed syndrome

Last updated

The agricultural weed syndrome is the set of common traits which make a plant a successful agricultural weed. [1] [2] [3] Most of these traits are not, themselves, phenotypes but are instead methods of rapid adaptation. So equipped, plants of various origins - invasives, natives, mildly successful marginal weeds of agriculture, weeds of other settings - accumulate other characteristics which allow them to compete in an environment with a high degree of human management. [2]

Contents

Nonetheless, some of the syndrome traits are themselves phenotypic. [2]

Syndrome traits

Some of these are the opposite of domestication traits. [2]

Evolution

Insufficient information is available as to the exact contribution of mutations, particular mutation types, pre-existing genetic diversity, specific genes, and introgression to syndrome acquisition. It is also unknown whether we can discern the genetic signatures of adaptation to different weed management regimes from different times.

In some cases domestication alleles may produce weeds that are weedier than the wild parent they were derived from. For example, California wild radish is weedier and more aggressive than Raphanus raphanistrum , despite being merely a combination of R. raphanistrum and R. raphanistrum's own subspecies R. r. sativus.

Pre-existing allelic variety which suddenly became more adaptive when the cultivated environment appeared likely has contributed to the success of Amaranthus tuberculatus , A. palmeri , Lolium rigidum and Ipomoea purpurea especially their quick development of herbicide resistance.

On the other hand, novel mutations may be the source herbicide resistance in Echinochloa crus-galli and E. oryzicola , whose worldwide combined populations have developed resistance to nine modes of action.

Some weeds are themselves the descendants of crops, while some are unrelated to any cultivated species. [3] The origins of those arising from cultivars are variously better and worse understood: Weedy Helianthus annuus is well understood as wild/cultivar hybrids, weedy Secale cereale and O. sativa as purely feral crops, Beta vulgaris weeds are highly studied although some further analysis is called for, and at the other end of the spectrum lie Sorghum halepense [2] and weedy races of S. bicolor , [4] [2] weedy congeners of cultivated S. bicolor with complicated interbreeding histories that have yet to be untangled. [2] Recently (as of 2020) teosintes have begun invading Spain and France. DNA testing of Spanish teosinte shows it to be intermediate between Zea mays subsp. mays and Zea mays subsp. mexicana. [5]

Genes

Some of these are the same genes as domestication traits, but with alleles of opposite effect. [2]

Example species

Polygonum aviculare , Plantago lanceolata , Spergularia rubra , Senecio vulgaris , Poa annua , [1] weedy rice, Sorghum weeds including S. halepense [2] and weedy races of S. bicolor, [4] weedy Helianthus annuus. [2] [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oat</span> Cool weather staple grain, animal feed

The oat, sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name. Oats are used for human consumption as oatmeal and rolled oats. Oats are a nutrient-rich food associated with lower blood cholesterol and reduced risk of human heart disease when consumed regularly. One of the most common uses of oats is as livestock feed.

<i>Avena</i> Genus of grasses oat

Avena is a genus of Eurasian and African plants in the grass family. Collectively known as the oats, they include some species which have been cultivated for thousands of years as a food source for humans and livestock. They are widespread throughout Europe, Asia and northwest Africa. Several species have become naturalized in many parts of the world, and are regarded as invasive weeds where they compete with crop production. All oats have edible seeds, though they are small and hard to harvest in most species.

<i>Zea</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae

Zea is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family. The best-known species is Z. mays, one of the most important crops for human societies throughout much of the world. The four wild species are commonly known as teosintes and are native to Mesoamerica.

Agricultural biotechnology, also known as agritech, is an area of agricultural science involving the use of scientific tools and techniques, including genetic engineering, molecular markers, molecular diagnostics, vaccines, and tissue culture, to modify living organisms: plants, animals, and microorganisms. Crop biotechnology is one aspect of agricultural biotechnology which has been greatly developed upon in recent times. Desired trait are exported from a particular species of Crop to an entirely different species. These transgene crops possess desirable characteristics in terms of flavor, color of flowers, growth rate, size of harvested products and resistance to diseases and pests.

<i>Oryza sativa</i> Species of plant

Oryza sativa, also known as rice, is the plant species most commonly referred to in English as rice. It is the type of farmed rice whose cultivars are most common globally, and was first domesticated in the Yangtze River basin in China 13,500 to 8,200 years ago.

<i>Sorghum <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> drummondii</i> Hybrid species of grass

Sorghum × drummondii, is a hybrid-derived species of grass raised for forage and grain, native to tropical and subtropical regions of Eastern Africa. It may also be known as Sorghum bicolor × Sorghum arundinaceum after its parents. Some authorities consider all three species to be subspecies under S. bicolor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vavilovian mimicry</span> Type of biological mimicry in plants

In plant biology, Vavilovian mimicry is a form of mimicry in plants where a weed evolves to share one or more characteristics with a domesticated plant through generations of artificial selection. It is named after Nikolai Vavilov, a prominent Russian plant geneticist. Selection against the weed may occur by killing a young or adult weed, separating its seeds from those of the crop (winnowing), or both. This has been done manually since Neolithic times, and in more recent years by agricultural machinery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnson grass</span> Species of plant

Johnson grass or Johnsongrass, Sorghum halepense, is a plant in the grass family, Poaceae, native to Asia and northern Africa. The plant has been introduced to all continents except Antarctica, and most larger islands and archipelagos. It reproduces by rhizomes and seeds.

<i>Sorghum bicolor</i> Species of plant

Sorghum bicolor, commonly called sorghum and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a grass species cultivated for its grain, which is used for food for humans, animal feed, and ethanol production. Sorghum originated in Africa, and is now cultivated widely in tropical and subtropical regions. Sorghum is the world's fifth-most important cereal crop after rice, wheat, maize, and barley, with 61,000,000 metric tons of annual global production in 2021. S. bicolor is typically an annual, but some cultivars are perennial. It grows in clumps that may reach over 4 metres (13 ft) high. The grain is small, ranging from 2 to 4 millimetres in diameter. Sweet sorghums are sorghum cultivars that are primarily grown for forage, syrup production, and ethanol; they are taller than those grown for grain.

<i>Chenopodium berlandieri</i> Species of edible flowering plant

Chenopodium berlandieri, also known by the common names pitseed goosefoot, lamb's quarters, and huauzontle (Nahuatl) is an annual herbaceous plant in the family Amaranthaceae.

<i>Oryza rufipogon</i> Species of grass

Oryza rufipogon, known as brownbeard rice, wild rice, and red rice, is a member of the genus Oryza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crop wild relative</span> Wild plant closely related to a domesticated plant

A crop wild relative (CWR) is a wild plant closely related to a domesticated plant. It may be a wild ancestor of the domesticated (cultivated) plant or another closely related taxon.

Upland rice is a variety of rice grown on dry soil rather than flooded rice paddies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weed</span> Plant considered undesirable in a particular place or situation

A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, growing where it conflicts with human preferences, needs, or goals. Plants with characteristics that make them hazardous, aesthetically unappealing, difficult to control in managed environments, or otherwise unwanted in farm land, orchards, gardens, lawns, parks, recreational spaces, residential and industrial areas, may all be considered weeds. The concept of weeds is particularly significant in agriculture, where the presence of weeds in fields used to grow crops may cause major losses in yields. Invasive species, plants introduced to an environment where their presence negatively impacts the overall functioning and biodiversity of the ecosystem, may also sometimes be considered weeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perennial rice</span> Varieties of rice that can grow season after season without re-seeding

Perennial rice are varieties of long-lived rice that are capable of regrowing season after season without reseeding; they are being developed by plant geneticists at several institutions. Although these varieties are genetically distinct and will be adapted for different climates and cropping systems, their lifespan is so different from other kinds of rice that they are collectively called perennial rice. Perennial rice—like many other perennial plants—can spread by horizontal stems below or just above the surface of the soil but they also reproduce sexually by producing flowers, pollen and seeds. As with any other grain crop, it is the seeds that are harvested and eaten by humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acifluorfen</span> Chemical compound

Acifluorfen is the ISO common name for an organic compound used as an herbicide. It acts by inhibiting the enzyme protoporphyrinogen oxidase which is necessary for chlorophyll synthesis. Soybeans naturally have a high tolerance to acifluorfen and its salts, via metabolic disposal by glutathione S-transferase. It is effective against broadleaf weeds and grasses and is used agriculturally on fields growing soybeans, peanuts, peas, and rice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domestication syndrome</span> Proposed biological phenomenon

Domestication syndrome refers to two sets of phenotypic traits that are common to either domesticated animals, or domesticated plants. These traits were identified by Charles Darwin in The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Gressel</span>

Jonathan Gressel is an Israeli agricultural scientist and Professor Emeritus at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. Gressel is a "strong proponent of using modern genetic techniques to improve agriculture" especially in third world and developing countries such as Africa. In 2010, Gressel received Israel's highest civilian award, the Israel Prize, for his work in agriculture

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fomesafen</span> PPOi herbicide

Fomesafen is the ISO common name for an organic compound used as an herbicide. It acts by inhibiting the enzyme protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) which is necessary for chlorophyll synthesis. Soybeans naturally have a high tolerance to fomesafen, via metabolic disposal by glutathione S-transferase. As a result, soy is the most common crop treated with fomesafen, followed by other beans and a few other crop types. It is not safe for maize/corn or other Poaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Introgressive hybridization in plants</span>

Introgressive hybridization, also known as introgression, is the flow of genetic material between divergent lineages via repeated backcrossing. In plants, this backcrossing occurs when an generation hybrid breeds with one or both of its parental species.

References

  1. 1 2 Baker, Herbert G (1974). "The Evolution of Weeds". Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics . Annual Reviews. 5 (1): 1–24. doi:10.1146/annurev.es.05.110174.000245. ISSN   0066-4162.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Vigueira, C C; Olsen, K M; Caicedo, A L (2012-11-28). "The red queen in the corn: agricultural weeds as models of rapid adaptive evolution". Heredity . The Genetics Society (Nature). 110 (4): 303–311. doi:10.1038/hdy.2012.104. ISSN   0018-067X. PMC   3607111 . PMID   23188175.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wedger, Marshall J.; Olsen, Kenneth M. (2018). "Evolving insights on weedy rice". Ecological Genetics and Genomics . Elsevier. 7–8: 23–26. doi: 10.1016/j.egg.2018.03.005 . ISSN   2405-9854.
  4. 1 2 "Shattercane". Mizzou WeedID // Weed ID Guide // University of Missouri. Retrieved 2021-07-08.