The persistence of trifluralin resistance in green foxtail (Setaria viridis) populations

In the summer of 1995, green foxtail seed samples were collected from 17 fields in southwestern Manitoba where trifluralin resistance was first identified in 1988. Since 1988, six of these fields had not been treated with dinitroaniline herbicides (DNAHs), four had been treated once, and seven had been treated two or more times. The proportions of resistant (R) and susceptible (S) seeds in each sample were determined using a petri-dish seed bioassay. Among the samples collected from fields that had not been treated between 1988 and 1995, two contained > 99% R seeds. The others ranged from 40 to 83%. Among the four samples collected from fields that were treated once, two contained > 99% R seeds and the other two contained 59 and 67% R seeds. Five of the seven samples collected from fields treated two or more times contained > 97% R seeds and the other two approximately 89 and 68% resistant seeds. There was no statistical correlation between the proportion of R seeds and the frequency of DNAH use since 1988. The proportion of R seeds present in 1988 and 1995 could not be compared because of the way in which fields were treated prior to sampling in the 2 yr; however, the results clearly indicate that trifluralin resistance can persist in green foxtail populations for at least 7 yr. By inference, the results indicate that trifluralin-resistant green foxtail plants are almost, if not equally, as fit as susceptible plants. Consequently, once resistance is present in a green foxtail population, DNAHs cannot be used for its control, even in the absence of additional selection pressure, for at least 7 yr and probably much longer.