Knowledge of weed seeds present in the soil seedbank is important for understanding population dynamics and forecasting future weed infestations. Quantification of the weed seedbank has historically been laborious, and few studies have attempted to quantify seedbanks on the scale required to make management decisions. An accurate, efficient, and ideally automated method to identify weed seeds in field samples is needed. To achieve sufficient precision, we leveraged YOLOv8, a machine learning object detection to accurately identify and count weed seeds obtained from the soil seedbank and weed seed collection. The YOLOv8 model, trained and evaluated using high-quality images captured with a digital microscope, achieved an overall accuracy and precision exceeding 80% confidence in distinguishing various weed seed species in both images and real-time videos. Despite the challenges associated with species having similar seed morphology, the application of YOLOv8 will facilitate rapid and accurate identification of weed seeds for the assessment of future weed management strategies.

Herbicide resistance is often viewed as a complex problem in need of innovative management solutions. Because of the transboundary mobility of many weeds, resistance to herbicides is also viewed as a community-scale issue. Consequently, the idea of greater coordination among resource users—especially growers—is often promoted as a management approach. Recently, scholars have framed herbicide resistance as a commons problem in need of collective action. Specifically, social scientists have explored the utility of adopting bottom-up, community-based approaches to help solve the growing problem of herbicide resistance through a framework for interpreting the commons known as common pool resource theory. This article analyzes how herbicide resistance fits—and fails to fit—within common pool resource theory and offers an updated conceptual framework from which to build future work. We argue that the application of common pool resource theory to herbicide-resistance management is underdeveloped, and approaches based on this theory have shown little success. The relevance of common pool resource theory for informing herbicide-resistance management is less settled than existing scholarship has suggested, and other frameworks for approaching transboundary resource problems—such as co-production of knowledge and participatory action research—warrant consideration.

Yield losses due to weeds are a major threat to wheat production and economic well-being of farmers in the United States and Canada. The objective of this Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) Weed Loss Committee report is to provide estimates of wheat yield and economic losses due to weeds. Weed scientists provided both weedy (best management practices but no weed control practices) and weed-free (best management practices providing >90% weed control) average yield from replicated research trials in both winter and spring wheat from 2007 to 2017. Winter wheat yield loss estimates ranged from 2.9% to 34.4%, with a weighted average (by production) of 25.6% for the United States, 2.9% for Canada, and 23.4% combined. Based on these yield loss estimates and total production, the potential winter wheat loss due to weeds is 10.5, 0.09, and 10.5 billion kg with a potential loss in value of US$2.19, US$0.19, and US$2.19 billion for the United States, Canada, and combined, respectively. Spring wheat yield loss estimates ranged from 7.9% to 47.0%, with a weighted average (by production) of 33.2% for the United States, 8.0% for Canada, and 19.5% combined. Based on this yield loss estimate and total production, the potential spring wheat loss is 4.8, 1.6, and 6.6 billion kg with a potential loss in value of US$1.14, US$0.37, and US$1.39 billion for the United States, Canada, and combined, respectively. Yield loss in this analysis is greater than some previous estimates, likely indicating an increasing threat from weeds. Climate is affecting yield loss in winter wheat in the Pacific Northwest, with percent yield loss being highest in wheat-fallow systems that receive less than 30 cm of annual precipitation. Continued investment in weed science research for wheat is critical for continued yield protection.

Weed management during spring crop production in eastern Washington presents many challenges. Many spring crops are weak competitors with weeds. In May of 2010 and 2011, two spring crop trials were initiated near Pullman, WA, to compare the relative competitiveness of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.), and pea (Pisum sativum L.) using cultivated oat (Avena sativa L.) as a surrogate for wild oat (Avena fatua L.) competition. The experiment was arranged as a split-block split-plot design with four replications. One set of main plots included three oat density treatments (0, 63, and 127 plants m−2), while a second set included each crop species. Crop species main plots were then split into subplots of two different seeding rates (recommended and doubled). Crop populations decreased as oat density increased and increased as crop seeding rate increased. As oat density increased, preharvest crop biomass decreased for all crops, while oat biomass and yield increased. Oat biomass and yield were greater in legume plots compared with cereal plots. Increasing oat density decreased yields for all crops, whereas doubling crop seeding rate increased yields for barley and wheat in 2010 and barley in 2011. Compared with legumes, cereals were taller, produced more biomass, and were more competitive with oat.

The developmental status of perennial weeds such as rush skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea L.) can influence herbicide absorption and translocation. Differential efficacy between fall and spring applications suggests vernalization impacts herbicide absorption and translocation in other perennial asters. Clopyralid and aminopyralid absorption and translocation were quantified in nonvernalized and vernalized plants following application of 14C-labeled herbicides 2, 4, 8, 24, and 72 h after treatment. Less 14C clopyralid was absorbed, and at a slower rate, in vernalized plants. Movement out of the treated leaf was slower, with 14C clopyralid translocating more rapidly than 14C aminopyralid. More 14C moved to the roots in nonvernalized plants compared with vernalized plants, regardless of herbicide. Increased translocation to belowground survival structures is needed for effective control of C. juncea.

Myopia is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in the world. Its prevalence has risen drastically over recent decades, and it is estimated that close to half the world population will be myopic by 2050.The rise in myopia is lifestyle related. Myopia occurs as a consequence of excessive eye growth, which may be related to general growth. Diet, therefore, is a potential risk factor. A number of Asian studies have reported lower levels of zinc in myopic adolescents, when compared to controls. Currently, there are no reliable indicators of zinc status. This study explores the association between zinc status and myopia using a combination of zinc assessment methods.

Participants from two different population-based studies were used. Data from 1,095 adolescents aged 12–19 years, from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Study were used to examine the relationship between dietary zinc intake and myopia. Data from 304 subjects of similar age from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Study were used to examine the association between serum zinc levels and myopia using multivariate logistic regression.

43% (NHANES) and 84% (KNHANES) of subjects were found to be myopic. Mean dietary intake of zinc was lower among myopes relative to non-myopes, but not significantly. In multivariate logistic regression, dietary zinc was not significantly associated with myopia. Among Korean subjects mean serum zinc was found to be higher in non-myopes v. myopes (p = 0.809). Multiple logistic regression did not show any significant relationship between serum zinc and myopia, after adjustment for confounders.

In contrast to previous studies, no relationship was found between lower dietary zinc intake or lower serum zinc, and myopia. Currently the BOND Zinc Expert Panel recommend plasma zinc concentration to assess zinc status, despite its extreme sensitivity to both internal and external factors like; inflammation, fasting, pregnancy, oral contraception and diurnal rhythm. Biological samples are very easily contaminated, meaning strict quality controls and procedures are required. These factors severely impact reliability, and thus, comparison between studies is challenging, particularly in the case of contrasting findings.As zinc is a vital micronutrient and an estimated one-third of the population are affected by zinc deficiency. A reliable biomarker of status is important, for clinical and research needs.

Ventenata [Ventenata dubia (Leers) Cross] is a winter annual grass relatively new to the inland Pacific Northwest that is capable of displacing desired vegetation. Indaziflam was evaluated for the management of V. dubia on two Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) sites near Moscow, ID, and Pullman, WA. While perennial grasses were dormant, applications of indaziflam in mixture with various herbicides were made in spring 2016. Treatment effects were evaluated for 2 yr by visual assessments of community composition and canopy cover of V. dubia and other non-weedy species (assessments occurred 3 to 6 mo after treatment, depending on location) and by representative cover class assessments. Biomass samples of all plant species were collected in the summer of 2017. Reduced V. dubia cover was observed in 2016, except when glyphosate was used alone. In 2017 indaziflam applied alone or in mixture with rimsulfuron effectively controlled V. dubia with minimal impact on desirable vegetation. Plant biomass from nontreated plots averaged 40 g m−2 for V. dubia and 100 to 179 g m−2 for perennial grasses. Plant biomass averaged <11 g m−2 for V. dubia and 371 to 490 g m−2 for perennial grasses when indaziflam at 102 g ai ha−1 plus glyphosate at 474 g ai ha−1 was applied. Smooth brome (Bromus inermis Leyss.) biomass was positively associated with the reduction of V. dubia, and there was a decrease in diversity associated with the removal of V. dubia through effective treatments. Indaziflam is an effective tool for the management of V. dubia in perennial grass stands, and spring applications of indaziflam should be in mixture with herbicides with POST activity.

Seven half-day regional listening sessions were held between December 2016 and April 2017 with groups of diverse stakeholders on the issues and potential solutions for herbicide-resistance management. The objective of the listening sessions was to connect with stakeholders and hear their challenges and recommendations for addressing herbicide resistance. The coordinating team hired Strategic Conservation Solutions, LLC, to facilitate all the sessions. They and the coordinating team used in-person meetings, teleconferences, and email to communicate and coordinate the activities leading up to each regional listening session. The agenda was the same across all sessions and included small-group discussions followed by reporting to the full group for discussion. The planning process was the same across all the sessions, although the selection of venue, time of day, and stakeholder participants differed to accommodate the differences among regions. The listening-session format required a great deal of work and flexibility on the part of the coordinating team and regional coordinators. Overall, the participant evaluations from the sessions were positive, with participants expressing appreciation that they were asked for their thoughts on the subject of herbicide resistance. This paper details the methods and processes used to conduct these regional listening sessions and provides an assessment of the strengths and limitations of those processes.

Herbicide resistance is ‘wicked’ in nature; therefore, results of the many educational efforts to encourage diversification of weed control practices in the United States have been mixed. It is clear that we do not sufficiently understand the totality of the grassroots obstacles, concerns, challenges, and specific solutions needed for varied crop production systems. Weed management issues and solutions vary with such variables as management styles, regions, cropping systems, and available or affordable technologies. Therefore, to help the weed science community better understand the needs and ideas of those directly dealing with herbicide resistance, seven half-day regional listening sessions were held across the United States between December 2016 and April 2017 with groups of diverse stakeholders on the issues and potential solutions for herbicide resistance management. The major goals of the sessions were to gain an understanding of stakeholders and their goals and concerns related to herbicide resistance management, to become familiar with regional differences, and to identify decision maker needs to address herbicide resistance. The messages shared by listening-session participants could be summarized by six themes: we need new herbicides; there is no need for more regulation; there is a need for more education, especially for others who were not present; diversity is hard; the agricultural economy makes it difficult to make changes; and we are aware of herbicide resistance but are managing it. The authors concluded that more work is needed to bring a community-wide, interdisciplinary approach to understanding the complexity of managing weeds within the context of the whole farm operation and for communicating the need to address herbicide resistance.

Rush skeletonweed is emerging as a regionally important weed of winter wheat production in eastern Washington. Field studies were conducted during the 2016 and 2017 crop years to evaluate several auxin herbicides applied at two seasonal timings (fall or spring) for control of rush skeletonweed in winter wheat. Clopyralid (210 g ae ha-1) provided>90% visual control of rush skeletonweed in both years of the study and aminopyralid (10 g ae ha-1) provided>80% visual control. Aminocyclopyrachlor, dicamba, and 2,4-D provided<55% control of rush skeletonweed. Season of application did not meaningfully affect efficacy of any herbicide tested. Wheat yields were reduced by 39 to 69% compared to the non-treated check when aminocyclopyrachlor was applied in the spring. Clopyralid is an effective option for control of rush skeletonweed in Pacific Northwest winter wheat.

The Christianisation of Ireland in the fifth century AD produced distinct monastic practices and architectural traditions. Recent research on Inishark Island in western Ireland illuminates the diverse material manifestations of monasticism and contributes to the archaeological analysis of pilgrimage. Excavations revealed a ritual complex (AD 900–1100) developed as both an ascetic hermitage and a pilgrimage shrine. It is argued that monastic communities designed ritual infrastructure to promote ideologies of sacred hierarchy and affinity that legitimated their status and economic relations with lay worshippers. In a global context, this research emphasises how material and spatial settings of pilgrimage can accommodate and construct social distinctions through patterns of seclusion, exclusion and integration in ritual.

Downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.) is a widely distributed invasive winter annual grass across western North America. Bromus tectorum phenology can vary considerably among populations, and those differences are considered adaptively significant. A consensus hypothesis in the literature attributes the majority of observed differences in B. tectorum phenology to differing vernalization requirements among populations. A series of greenhouse experiments were conducted to identify differences in B. tectorum vernalization requirements and link vernalization to expression of annual false-brome [Brachypodium distachyon (L.) P. Beauv.]-derived vernalization gene homolog (BdVRN1). Results from this study indicate that variation in time to flowering is partially governed by differing vernalization requirements and that flowering is linked to the expression of BdVRN1.

The incorporation of pertechnetate (TcO4–) into feldspathoids produced by alkaline alteration of aluminosilicate clays may offer a potential treatment route for 99Tc-containing groundwater and liquors. Kaolinite was aged in NaOH to determine the effect of base concentration, temperature, and solution composition on mineral transformation and pertechnetate uptake. In all reactions, increased temperature and NaOH concentration increased the rate of kaolinite transformation to feldspathoid phases. In reactions containing only NaOH, sodalite was the dominant alteration product; however, small amounts (6–15%) of cancrinite also formed. In experiments containing NaOH/Cl and NaOH/NO3 mixtures, sodalite and nitrate cancrinite were crystallized (at 70°C), with no reaction intermediates. The addition of SO42– crystallized sulfatic sodalite at 40 and 50°C, but at higher temperatures (60 and 70°C) sulfatic sodalite transforms to vishnevite (sulfatic cancrinite). In experiments where a pertechnetate tracer was added (at ∼1.5 μmol l–1), only 3–5% of the 99Tc was incorporated into the feldspathoid phases. This suggests that the larger pertechnetate anion was unable to compete as favourably for the internal vacancies with the smaller OH–, NO3–, SO42– or Cl– anions in solution, making this method likely to be unsuitable for groundwater treatment.

We argue that the CLASH model makes a number of questionable assumptions about the harshness and unpredictability of low-latitude environments, calling into question the life history strategy approach used, and that it is inconsistent with more nuanced global patterns of violence. We suggest an alternative account for less violence at high latitudes, based on a greater need for cooperation.

Two putative glyphosate-resistant (GR) Russian-thistle accessions were collected from fallow fields (wheat-fallow rotation): one from Choteau County, MT (MT-R), and a second from Columbia County, WA (WA-R) in summer/fall of 2015. Greenhouse and outdoor/field whole-plant dose-response studies were conducted to confirm and characterize the levels of glyphosate resistance in these GR accessions relative to known glyphosate-susceptible accessions (MT-S and WA-S from MT and WA, respectively). Based on GR50 values of the progeny plants, the MT-R accession exhibited 4.5-fold and 5.9-fold resistance to glyphosate relative to the MT-S accession under greenhouse and outdoor conditions, respectively. The WA-R accession showed 3.0- to 5.0-fold resistance relative to the WA-S accession in greenhouse experiments, and 1.9- to 7.5-fold resistance in multi-site field experiments. In a separate greenhouse study on alternative POST herbicides to control GR Russian-thistle, bicyclopyrone plus bromoxynil, bromoxynil plus fluroxypyr, bromoxynil plus pyrasulfotole, bromoxynil plus MCPA, paraquat alone, paraquat plus metribuzin, saflufenacil alone, saflufenacil plus 2,4-D, and 2,4-D plus bromoxynil plus fluroxypyr provided effective control (≥95%) and shoot dry weight reduction (up to 98%) of GR accessions. This research confirms the first global case of field-evolved GR Russian-thistle. Best management practices (BMPs); including alternative, effective herbicide programs (based on multiple mechanisms of action highlighted in this study) need immediate implementation to prevent further spread of GR or evolution of multiple HR Russian-thistle populations in this region.

We adopt Tinbergen's (1963) “four questions” approach to strengthen the criticism by Maestripieri et al. of the non-evolutionary accounts of favouritism toward attractive individuals, by showing which levels of explanation are lacking in these accounts. We also use this approach to propose ways in which the evolutionary account may be extended and strengthened.

Crop losses from weed interference have a significant effect on net returns for producers. Herein, potential corn yield loss because of weed interference across the primary corn-producing regions of the United States and Canada are documented. Yield-loss estimates were determined from comparative, quantitative observations of corn yields between nontreated and treatments providing greater than 95% weed control in studies conducted from 2007 to 2013. Researchers from each state and province provided data from replicated, small-plot studies from at least 3 and up to 10 individual comparisons per year, which were then averaged within a year, and then averaged over the seven years. The resulting percent yield-loss values were used to determine potential total corn yield loss in t ha−1 and bu acre−1 based on average corn yield for each state or province, as well as corn commodity price for each year as summarized by USDA-NASS (2014) and Statistics Canada (2015). Averaged across the seven years, weed interference in corn in the United States and Canada caused an average of 50% yield loss, which equates to a loss of 148 million tonnes of corn valued at over U.S.$26.7 billion annually.

Field studies were conducted in 2011 at the Malheur Experiment Station, Ontario, OR and Prosser, WA to evaluate the effect of simulated glyphosate drift on direct-seeded dry bulb onion. Glyphosate was applied at 8.6, 25.8, 86, 290, 434, and 860 g ae ha−1 when onion plants were at the flag-, two-, four-, and six-leaf stages. Onion foliar injury was directly related to the glyphosate dose and varied with application timing. Foliar injury at 7 d after treatment (DAT) ranged from 0 to 12% for glyphosate ≤ 25.8 g ha−1. Foliar injury increased at 21 DAT when glyphosate was applied ≥ 25.8 g ha−1 to plants at the flag- and four-leaf stage, and ranged from 24 to 99%. The 50%-injury glyphosate dose at 21 DAT was lowest when onion was treated at the four-leaf and flag stages and was estimated to be 76.8 and 81 g ha−1, respectively. Onion injury severity increased when glyphosate was applied at ≥ 86 g ha−1 and eventually resulted in plant death at 860 g ha−1. Foliar injury was inversely correlated to U.S. no. 1 onion yield. Onions displayed sensitivity to very low glyphosate doses especially at the four-leaf stage. Shikimic acid accumulation increased with the increase in glyphosate dose and was positively correlated with foliar injury and negatively correlated with plant height and onion yield.

Morningglories are troublesome weeds in row crops and other agricultural areas throughout the United States. Plants of pitted morningglory, sharppod morningglory, and a fertile “hybrid” between pitted and sharppod morningglory (hybrid morningglory), were compared with cypressvine, ivyleaf, palmleaf, purple moonflower, red, and smallflower morningglories in greenhouse studies at Stoneville, MS. Plants from each of 76 accessions were studied for number of nodes to first internode elongation; stem color and pubescence; leaf area and dry weight of first four full expanded leaves; leaf blade pubescence on abaxial and adaxial surfaces and margins; leaf color, shape, and lobing; petiole length, color, and pubescence; sepal length, color, and pubescence; and corolla color, diameter, and length. Among these morningglories, the most diverse traits were pubescence and flower characteristics. Greatest morphological diversity was among hybrid morningglory accessions because characteristics were intermediate to pitted morningglory and sharppod morningglory accessions. Sharppod morningglory had five nodes to first internode elongation compared to three nodes in pitted and hybrid morningglory. Corolla color was white (90%) or white with faint pink veins (10%) in pitted morningglory, lavender (100%) in sharppod morningglory, and varied from pinkish lavender (45%), lavender (38%), white (12%), to white with pink veins (5%) in hybrid morningglory accessions. Pitted, red, and smallflower morningglory corolla diameters were not only smaller, but less variable in size than cypressvine, hybrid, ivyleaf, palmleaf, purple moonflower, and sharppod morningglories. Corolla diameter and lengths were most variable in sharppod morningglory accessions when compared to other morningglory accessions. The sepal tip shape was broader (broadly acute to obtuse) in palmleaf and sharppod than in hybrid, pitted, or other morningglories (acute to narrowly acute). In future studies, these morphological traits will be compared to determine if any are correlated with glyphosate sensitivity.