The global climate is changing, characterized by rising temperatures (projected to increase by 1.5–2 C by the end of the century) and elevated atmospheric CO2 levels (>410 ppm), which are recognized as the primary drivers of climate change. These changes significantly affect multiple aspects of weed biology, including seed germination, seedbank dynamics, photosynthesis, root growth, phenology, and biomass production, often enhancing weed growth and competitive ability by 60–90% under elevated temperature and CO2 conditions. Climate change not only modifies the biological traits of weeds but also influences the effectiveness of current management practices, including herbicide application, potentially increasing herbicide resistance. In this context, smart agriculture and artificial intelligence–based technologies offer promising tools for precise weed identification, monitoring of distribution patterns, and prediction of weed dynamics, thereby optimizing management strategies, reducing herbicide use, and improving control efficiency. Understanding climate-induced biological changes in weeds and integrating advanced technologies into management approaches are crucial for mitigating ecological threats and ensuring the sustainability of agricultural production.

Widespread evolution of glyphosate resistance among kochia populations is a serious challenge for growers across the North American Great Plains. Dicamba has historically been used to control glyphosate-resistant (Gly-R) kochia. However, the increasing spread of dicamba-resistant kochia and current restrictions on dicamba use (low volatile formulations) warrant alternative herbicide options to control Gly-R kochia. In this context, field-based dose response experiments were conducted in fallow at Kansas State University Agricultural Research Center, Hays, KS, during 2021 and 2022 to determine and compare the effectiveness of 2,4-D, dicamba, and dichlorprop-p applied alone, and in a premixture of 2,4-D/dicamba/dichlorprop-p for controlling Gly-R kochia. Averaged across two years, results indicated that substantially lower doses of 2,4-D, dicamba, and dichlorprop-p were required in a premixture to achieve effective control of Gly-R kochia compared with their standalone applications. Specifically, the ED90 values for Gly-R kochia control were reduced by 90-, 4-, and 6-times for 2,4-D, dicamba, and dichlorprop-p, respectively, when applied as a premixture. Similarly, achieving 90% biomass reduction required approximately 1021-, 3-, and 4-times lower doses of 2,4-D, dicamba, and dichlorprop-p, respectively, in the premixture than when applied alone. Altogether, these results demonstrated that the premixture of 2,4-D/dicamba/dichlorprop-p can be an effective alternative for managing Gly-R kochia in fallow. The reduced dose requirements in a premixture also suggested potential benefits for resistance management, cost efficiency, and environmental stewardship.

Building on Cramer’s (2016) foundational work on rural consciousness, we measure place consciousness in Canada as a unified construct capturing both in-group place identification and out-group place resentment. Using data from a large-scale Canadian survey, we then examine how place consciousness relates to federal voting behaviour across a novel typology of six urban, suburban, and rural place types. We find that place consciousness is strongest on the ends of the urban-rural continuum; in low- and high-income rural places, and in core urban contexts with large shares of knowledge economy workers. Strong place consciousness relates to Conservative voting in the former places, and Liberal voting in the latter. Place consciousness is weaker in suburban and working-class urban places, and less systematically related to voting behaviour. By examining place consciousness across place types, our findings reveal the nuanced ways in which place identity and resentment shape vote choice across Canada’s urban–rural cleavage.

Italian ryegrass [Lolium perenne L. ssp. multiflorum (Lam.) Husnot] is one of the most common and malignant weeds that seriously affects wheat yield. Investigating its germination ecology and competitive dynamics with wheat is essential for predicting its potential invasion areas and developing effective management strategies. This study evaluated the effects of key environmental factors (pH, temperature, light, salinity, osmotic stress, and burial depth) on the seed germination and emergence of L. perenne ssp. multiflorum, and further quantified the impact of varying weed densities on wheat yield. The results showed that L. perenne ssp. multiflorum exhibits broad adaptability to environmental conditions. Optimal germination (70% to 86%) occurred at constant temperatures of 10 to 25 C. High germination rates (84% to 98%) were sustained across a wide pH range (4 to 10). Germination remained above 50% at osmotic potentials as low as -0.7 MPa. The germination rate of L. perenne ssp. multiflorum decreases with the increase in salt concentration, and was completely inhibited at 300 mM NaCl. Emergence was highest (92%) at 2 cm burial depth, remained above 80% from 0.5 to 6 cm, declined sharply beyond 10 cm, and was negligible at 14 cm. Field experiments demonstrated a density-dependent reduction in wheat yield by competition from L. perenne ssp. multiflorum, primarily through decreased wheat spike density and grains per spike, thereby reducing yield. Increasing wheat sowing density from 67.5 to 202.5 kg ha-1 could significantly mitigate these losses. These findings provide critical insights into the ecological adaptability of L. perenne ssp. multiflorum and its potential impact on agricultural systems, which can inform integrated weed management strategies.

Parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus L.) is rapidly invading southern Oman, posing growing challenges to agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods in Dhofar’s crop–livestock systems. This study assesses its agronomic and socioeconomic impacts using field surveys and a stratified household survey of 40 farms conducted between June and August 2022. Data was analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to examine the relationships between farmer characteristics, infestation levels, weed management practices, and farm revenue. Results indicate that while most farmers are aware of P. hysterophorus, limited recognition at early growth stages delays control and increases management costs. Education (β = 1.009, p = 0.06), cultivated area (β = 1.033, p = 0.003), and chemical control expenditures (β = 0.295, p = 0.05) were positively associated with gross revenue, whereas age had a negative effect (β = −0.762, p = 0.08). Infestation significantly increased labour-intensive weeding costs (β = 2.072, p = 0.07) but reduced chemical use (β = −1.303, p = 0.032), indicating substitution toward manual control. Although time spent uprooting reduced infestation levels (β = −0.128, p = 0.001), it also increased weeding and chemical control costs, highlighting the financial burden of relying on manual methods. Crop-specific analysis showed heterogeneous vulnerability, with peas more affected than wheat and tomato. Overall, the findings demonstrate that P. hysterophorus imposes measurable income and welfare risks on farming households. These impacts can be mitigated through farmer education, early detection, and judicious chemical use within an integrated weed management framework. Strengthening extension services and promoting crop-specific interventions are essential for protecting rural livelihoods and food security in arid, invasion-prone farming systems.

It may be time to “de-territorialize historical narratives of the United States.”1 As the premise of this special issue demonstrates, American history has long been told through a land-centered lens—one that treats water as a backdrop or boundary. Yet when we shift perspective to view the U.S. past through water or the shifting interface between land and water, familiar narratives transform. In some instances, literature and film have offered ways of reorienting our perceptions by giving water prominence over land as a driving force behind such narratives. Frank Herbert’s 1965 science-fiction classic Dune does just that (Figure 1). He centers attention on the fictional desert planet, Arrakis, as the axis of his story. This choice seems to place aridity and desolation at the heart of the book. As the only source of the highly coveted “spice”—a substance that can “bend space” to make galactic travel possible—Arrakis becomes a battleground for interstellar warfare. Below the surface of the planet, figuratively and literally, the indigenous population of desert-savvy Fremen stores untold quantities of water, contrary to the popular view that Fremen society is weak because it is environmentally vulnerable without a sufficient water supply. However, the potential of their water to remake Arrakis is their hidden power, possibly more so than the presence of spice.2

Drawing on Joseph Carens’s social membership theory, originally developed in immigration ethics, I transpose this temporal logic to organizational spheres. I argue that as employees accrue tenure, they “sink roots”, integrating into the firm’s cooperative structure and subjecting themselves to its governance. This sustained integration generates increasingly strong moral entitlements to participate in decision-making, analogous to how long-term residents acquire claims to citizenship. I use this temporal framework to address the boundary problem in workplace democracy, defend a graduated workplace franchise that prioritizes long-term employees over transient stakeholders, and criticize fissured employment structures that block such membership over time.

The introduction of advanced automation and human-artificial intelligence (AI) teaming is expected to permit more efficient use of airspace in the face of increasing air transport demand. Additionally, the development of next-generation aircraft to support net-zero has introduced more complexity into the future flight deck and informational requirements. This study evaluates a design for an ‘intelligent assistant’ system that could share tasks with the pilot during engine failure and pilot incapacitation events, promoting greater reliance on system interaction as workload increases. Four professional pilots were split into two groups to perform six and eight scenarios, respectively. The aim was to identify the task-related information for the designed system to promote transparency to the pilots. Three modalities varied across each scenario (visual, auditory and physical) to evaluate the combination of modality to increase pilot monitoring and interaction with the system. Analysis of participant feedback indicated key limitations to existing human-machine-interaction design, with current operational procedures creating disparity between the system and pilots’ authority to handle the scenario. Additionally, the use of audio narration was negatively received by participants, primarily due to the potential overlap between other audio stimuli, masking the perception of task-critical audio prompts and delaying critical flight tasks from being performed. Design considerations were generated for future ‘intelligent assistant’ systems, with further research required to understand the effect of each modality on pilot reliance on these ‘intelligent assistant’ systems.

Children with CHD have demonstrated a rise in obesity, and have unique risks related to comorbidities of obesity, including feeding dysfunction and exercise limitations. The incidence and cause of obesity among patients with surgically corrected CHD are not fully understood. This single-centre, longitudinal, retrospective cohort study identified patients between 2004 and 2020 with surgical correction. Diagnoses were restricted to d-transposition of the great arteries, coarctation of the aorta, or tetralogy of Fallot with surgical repair by 6 months of life without long-term post-operative complications or chromosomal abnormalities. Evaluation of Body Mass Index by survival curve for endpoints of overweight and obesity, as well as descriptive analysis of the population, was performed compared to the expected prevalence in the state of Oregon (13.7%). Cohorts were divided into eras in 5-year increments. Of 240 patients identified, 87 (36.2%) were overweight and 50 (20.8%) obese, findings significantly higher than expected prevalence (p = <0.01) for the same time period in the state of Oregon. Patients with coarctation of the aorta had a higher prevalence than other diagnoses (p = <0.01). Patients in the 2004–2008 cohort had the highest rates of obesity compared to other cohorts (p = <0.01 and p = <0.01, respectively), likely due to a longer observational period. However, the 2014–17 cohort had the highest rate of increase in hazard ratio. Children with surgically corrected CHD demonstrate higher prevalences of obesity compared to the general population. There is variation by diagnosis, with coarctation of the aorta having comparatively higher prevalences of obesity. Several factors may impact this discrepancy, including sports participation restrictions and initial emphasis on weight gain.