Evolution of Weed Resistance

Weed resistance is a complex problem with incredible ramifications for agricultural production. It also provides an outstanding opportunity to examine how resistance happens– is it continual development of new mutations, new mutations in the same genes, or is it simply spread of already resistant material? Genome sequencing and comparative genomics indicates that it is all of the above. A recent paper by Kreiner et al tells the story of Amaranth resistance and its origins, particularly with presence in Canadian agriculture.