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Masters_Thesis_Andrew_Osburn.pdf (2.09 MB)

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Understanding Weed Species Diversity in Railroad Crossing Rights-of-way

Osburn, Andrew Wesley
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1574641066802878

Abstract Details

2019, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Horticulture and Crop Science.
Studies were conducted from 2017 through 2019 with the objectives of: (1) determining the impacts of industrial vegetation management on weed species diversity in railroad crossing rights-of-way in urban and rural environments; and (2) determining the herbicide resistance characteristics in Ohio populations of redroot pigweed. A multiple phase study was conducted from spring of 2018 through the spring of 2019 at a total of ten railroad crossing rights-of-way. The goal of this research was to gain a better understanding of weed species found in railroad crossing rights-of-way with the following objectives: (1) determine the effect of intensity of herbicide use on plant species diversity at railroad crossings; (2) determine the difference in plant species diversity between urban and rural railroad crossings along one continuous central Ohio rail corridor; and (3) characterize the plant populations present in the seedbank for their response to glyphosate (site 9, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase inhibitor) and other herbicide sites of action. There was no difference in weed species diversity between intense and moderate management zone seedbanks based on Shannon’s Index (H’) = 1.36 vs 1.54. Urban sites had greater diversity, H’ = 1.64, than rural sites, H’ = 1.26. Application of glyphosate at 1.7 kg ae/ha controlled most species that grew in soil samples, with some exceptions, notably horseweed and waterhemp. The progeny of the glyphosate-tolerant horseweed population was resistant to glyphosate (site 9) and to cloransulam-methyl (site 2), while being susceptible to atrazine (site 5). The progeny of the glyphosate-tolerant waterhemp population was resistant to glyphosate, while being susceptible to atrazine and fomesfen (site 14). These findings further demonstrate the importance of understanding how human activity and industrial herbicide applications shape plant communities and the implication that has on industrial, non-crop environments. A study was conducted in 2017 and 2018 to determine the frequency of herbicide resistance in redroot pigweed populations collected from Ohio soybean fields. The goal of this study was to characterize the response of Ohio redroot pigweed populations to three herbicide sites of action: glyphosate (site 9, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase inhibitor), imazethapyr (site 2, acetolactate synthase inhibitor), and fomesafen (site 14, protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitor). The 2016 redroot pigweed populations expressed resistance to at least one site-of-action in 60% of populations. Resistance to glyphosate, imazethapyr, fomesafen, and multiple sites occurred in 30, 33, 10, and 23% of populations, respectively. In 2017, resistance to at least one site of action occurred in 52% of populations screened. Resistance to glyphosate, imazethapyr, fomesafen, and multiple sites occurred in 33, 24, 5, and 5% of populations, respectively. These results indicate that herbicide-resistant redroot pigweed populations are occurring in farm fields across the state of Ohio and could prove costly to farmers if not properly managed and monitored.
Mark Loux, Dr. (Advisor)
Steven Harrison, Dr. (Committee Member)
Emilie Regnier, Dr. (Committee Member)
100 p.
Agriculture; Agronomy; Ecology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Osburn, A. W. (2019). Understanding Weed Species Diversity in Railroad Crossing Rights-of-way [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1574641066802878

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Osburn, Andrew. Understanding Weed Species Diversity in Railroad Crossing Rights-of-way. 2019. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1574641066802878.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Osburn, Andrew. "Understanding Weed Species Diversity in Railroad Crossing Rights-of-way." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1574641066802878

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1574641066802878
283
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.