Appearance of Herbicide Resistance in a Weed Population Glossary

A fully grown, mature organism.

The basic building blocks of proteins. The sequence of amino acids in a protein and protein function are determined by the genetic code.

Living or growing for only one year or season.

The development of resistance of an European Corn Borer to a Bt protein as a result of resistance development to a different Bt protein even though the European Corn Borer may have never been exposed to the second protein.

In a condition of biological rest or inactivity characterized by cessation of growth or development and the suspension of many metabolic processes.

Something that changes or moves; not static or stationary.

A protein that catalyzes, or speeds up, a specific biochemical reaction without changing the nature of the reaction.

The practice of leaving land either uncropped and weed-free, or with volunteer vegetation during at least one period when a crop would normally be grown; objective may be to control weeds, accumulate water, and/or available plant nutrients.

Process in which seeds or spores sprout and begin to grow.

A pesticide used to kill plants.

The inherited ability of a plant to survive and reproduce following exposure to a dose of herbicide normally lethal to the wild type. In a plant, resistance may be naturally occurring or induced by such techniques as genetic engineering or selection of variants produced by tissue culture or mutagenesis.

How a herbicide affects a plant including uptake, translocation and general effect on a plant.

Any change in a DNA sequence.

Application of a herbicide after the plant has emerged.

The ability of an organism to survive and thrive in the presence of something that would normally cause damage or death, i.e., herbicide-resistant corn, Roundup-ready corn.

The inherited ability of a plant to survive and reproduce following exposure to a dose of herbicide normally lethal to the wild type. In a plant, resistance may be naturally occurring or induced by such techniques as genetic engineering or selection of variants produced by tissue culture or mutagenesis.

Ripened fertilized ovule of a flowering plant that contains an embryo and normally capable of germination.

A young plant that is grown from a seed.

A natural or artificial process that favors or induces survival and perpetuation of one kind of organism over others that die or fail to produce offspring.

The process that changes the relative frequency of one or more genes within a population.

A herbicide that is toxic to certain plants but harmless to others.

Sorghum bicolor.  A summer annual that resembles grain sorghum and corn. It is derived from wild and/or cultivated sorghum varieties. Shattercane is a major weed problem in corn, sorghum, and soybean fields in the Central United States. (California, 2001)

The exact binding spot of a herbicide.

The top layer of the Earth’s surface, consisting of four major components: air, water, organic matter and mineral matter. There are three categories of soil particles--sand, silt and clay--which are called "soil separates."

A fundamental category of taxonomic classification, ranking below a genus or subgenus and consisting of related organisms capable of interbreeding.

A fundamental category of taxonomic classification, ranking below a genus or subgenus and consisting of related organisms capable of interbreeding.

The combination or arrangement of soil particles that forms peds or aggregates.

The substance, base, or nutrient on which an organism grows, (iii) Compounds or substances that are acted upon by enzymes or catalysts and changed to other compounds in the chemical reaction. (1997. Soil Science Society of America. p. 107)

The inability to survive a herbicide at its use rate.

The inherent ability of a plant to survive and reproduce after herbicide treatment. This implies that there was no selection or genetic manipulation to make the plant tolerant; it is naturally tolerant.