Diclofop-methyl resistance in populations of Lolium spp. from central Italy

Abstract

Populations of Lolium spp. collected in central Italy were screened for resistance to acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase)-inhibiting herbicides and compared with known susceptible and resistant Lolium rigidum (Gaud.) populations from Australia. Populations Roma'94 and Tuscania'97 were up to 8- and 7.5-fold more resistant to diclofop-methyl, respectively, than susceptible populations in pot experiments. However, populations Tarquinia'97 and Vetralla'94 were not resistant. Diclofop-methyl resistance levels in the Italian populations were lower than in the Australian populations SLR31 and WLR96 (16.5 and > 64 times more resistant than S respectively). In an agar germination test, Tuscania'97 showed low levels of cross-resistance to fluazifop-p-butyl, whereas no cross-resistance was found in the Roma'94 population.