Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) in Tennessee has low level glyphosate resistance

Many agricultural producers apply glyphosate to glyphosate-resistant crops to control weeds, including Palmer amaranth. Populations of this weed in Tennessee not completely controlled by glyphosate were examined. Field and greenhouse research confirmed that two separate populations had reduced biomass sensitivity 1.5X to 5.0X) to glyphosate compared to susceptible populations, although the level of resistance was higher based on plant mortality response (about 10X). Shikimate accumulated in both resistant and susceptible plants, indicating that 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) was inhibited in both biotypes. These results suggest that an altered target site is not responsible for glyphosate resistance in these Palmer amaranth biotypes.