Designed to scare people | Weeds adapt and change but are not a product of genetic modification
Weeds have always been super, but that doesn’t mean they’re super weeds, said a policy analyst with the Weed Science Society of America.
Concerned about the growing use of the term “super weed” in urban media and online, Lee van Wychen said his organization is trying to debunk the super weed myths.
Weeds have always had the ability to adapt and change to their environment, but they’re not a product of rampant gene transfer from genetically modified crops, nor do they have the ability to muscle out competing plants, said van Wychen, the society’s director of science policy.
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Weed resistance to herbicides is not new; it has been reported for more than 50 years. The main cause of herbicide resistance is the overusing the same class of herbicide.
Super weeds is a term designed to scare people, said van Wychen.
“I wish it would scare farmers into adopting best management practices and rotate their herbicides.”.
Agriculture Canada weed scientist Bob Blackshaw said super weeds isn’t a term he hears from farmers.
Farmers often have questions about how timing and rate of application affect herbicide resistance. Those are generally small factors compared to repetitive use of the same herbicide class, he said.
Overuse of antibiotics, antimicrobial, insecticide, fungicide or herbicides can all lead to a reduction of efficacy, he said.
The second fallacy is that super weeds have a super ability to muscle out competing plants.
Blackshaw said herbicide resistant weeds have no greater ability to muscle out weeds and plants. Their only advantage is being able to survive herbicide treatment.
Van Wychen said any weeds, whether they are resistant to herbicides or not, can outcompete other plants for water, nutrients, sunlight and space and need to be controlled with a variety of weed management practices.
