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Accepted manuscript

Glyphosate Resistance in Italian ryegrass (Lolium perenne ssp. multiflorum) from New York State Associated with EPSPS Gene Amplification

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2026

Midhat Z. Tugoo
Affiliation:
Graduate Research Assistant, Soil and Crop Sciences Section, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Vipan Kumar*
Affiliation:
Associate Professor of Weed Science, Soil and Crop Sciences Section, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Jatinder Aulakh
Affiliation:
Associate Weed Scientist, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Windsor, CT, USA
Mike Stanyard
Affiliation:
Senior Extension Associate, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Cornell University, Newark, NY, USA
Sumit Jangra
Affiliation:
Biological Scientist II, Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Homestead, FL, USA
Jugpreet Singh
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor, Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Homestead, FL, USA
Antonio DiTommaso
Affiliation:
Professor and Director of the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station, Soil and Crop Sciences Section, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Jason K. Norsworthy
Affiliation:
Distinguished Professor and Elms Farming Chair of Weed Science, Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
*
*Author for correspondence: Vipan Kumar, Email: vk364@cornell.edu
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Abstract

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Italian ryegrass [Lolium perenne ssp. multiflorum (Lam.)] Husnot]; referred as L. multiflorum throughout the manuscript hereafter) is one of the most problematic grass weeds infesting agronomic and specialty crops across the United States. In 2023–2025, inadequate control of L. multiflorum populations (NY_R1, NY_R2, and NY_R3) with glyphosate was reported in Livingston, Ontario, and Genesee Counties, New York (NY). This research aimed to (1) confirm and quantify glyphosate resistance in these suspected glyphosate-resistant (GR) populations, (2) evaluate the efficacy of alternative postemergence herbicides, and (3) determine whether EPSPS gene amplification confers glyphosate resistance. A known glyphosate-susceptible (GS) population (AR_S) from Arkansas was included for comparison. Glyphosate dose–response assays indicated that NY_R1, NY_R2, and NY_R3 populations were 13-, 4-, and 5-fold resistant, respectively, relative to the AR_S population. Alternative postemergence herbicides, including clethodim, glufosinate, paraquat, and pinoxaden, provided 96 to 97% control and reduced shoot dry weight by 91 to 97% at 21 days after treatment (DAT). In contrast, nicosulfuron provided reduced control (63 to 74%) and limited biomass reduction (51 to 56%), suggesting possible resistance to acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides in three tested populations. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed that NY_R1 and NY_R3 had approximately 30-fold higher EPSPS gene copy numbers than AR_S, indicating gene amplification as a mechanism of glyphosate resistance. This study confirms the first case of GR L. multiflorum associated with EPSPS gene amplification in NY, underscoring the need for integrated, diversified weed management strategies to mitigate its further spread.

Information

Type
Research Article
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Weed Science Society of America