Herbicide-Resistance in Turf Systems: Insights and Options for Managing Complexity

Jennifer H. Allen (), David E. Ervin, George B. Frisvold, James T. Brosnan, James D. McCurdy, Rebecca G. Bowling, Aaron J. Patton, Matthew T. Elmore, Travis W. Gannon, Lambert B. McCarty, Patrick E. McCullough, John E. Kaminski, Shawn D. Askew, Alec R. Kowalewski, J. Bryan Unruh, J. Scott McElroy and Muthukumar V. Bagavathiannan
Additional contact information
Jennifer H. Allen: Department of Public Administration, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
David E. Ervin: Department of Environmental Science and Management, Institute for Sustainable Solutions, Department of Economics, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
George B. Frisvold: Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
James T. Brosnan: Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
James D. McCurdy: Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Rebecca G. Bowling: Department of Soil & Crop Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Center-Dallas, Dallas, TX 75252, USA
Aaron J. Patton: Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
Matthew T. Elmore: Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Travis W. Gannon: Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Lambert B. McCarty: Department of Plant, & Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
Patrick E. McCullough: Department of Crop & Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Griffin, GA 30223, USA
John E. Kaminski: Department of Plant Science, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Shawn D. Askew: School of Plant & Environmental Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
Alec R. Kowalewski: Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
J. Bryan Unruh: Environmental Horticulture Department, West Florida Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Jay, FL 32565, USA
J. Scott McElroy: Department of Crop, Soil, & Environmental Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
Muthukumar V. Bagavathiannan: Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 20, 1-17

Abstract: Due to complex interactions between social and ecological systems, herbicide resistance has classic features of a “wicked problem”. Herbicide-resistant (HR) Poa annua poses a risk to sustainably managing U.S. turfgrass systems, but there is scant knowledge to guide its management. Six focus groups were conducted throughout the United States to gain understanding of socio-economic barriers to adopting herbicide-resistance management practices. Professionals from major turfgrass sectors (golf courses, sports fields, lawn care, and seed/sod production) were recruited as focus-group participants. Discussions emphasized challenges of the weed management of turfgrass systems as compared to agronomic crops. This included greater time constraints for managing weeds and more limited chemical control options. Lack of understanding about the proper use of compounds with different modes of action was identified as a threat to sustainable weed management. There were significant regional differences in perceptions of the existence, geographic scope, and social and ecological causes of HR in managing Poa annua . Effective resistance management will require tailoring chemical and non-chemical practices to the specific conditions of different turfgrass sectors and regions. Some participants thought it would be helpful to have multi-year resistance management programs that are both sector- and species-specific.

Keywords: turfgrass managers; integrated weed management; wicked problems; focus groups; socio-economic surveys; annual bluegrass; Poa annua L. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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