The resistance of weed biotypes to acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor herbicides is due to this enzyme's lack of sensitivity to ALS inhibitor herbicides, which inhibit its catalytic activity. ALS insensitivity results from a structural change in the aminoacid sequence, exactly in the site of action of these herbicides. Eventually this modification in the enzyme may result in a reduced plant growth rate. Such reduction was also observed in biotypes resistant to Photosystem II inhibitor herbicides. The possibility of a lower growth rate of the resistant plant may directly affect biotype competitiveness, its population dynamics and, as a consequence, resistance management strategies. The objective of this research was to compare the growth rates of both resistant and susceptible Bidens pilosa biotypes to ALS inhibitor herbicides. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, using one plant per pot of 5 L capacity. Four plants per biotype were harvested weekly, starting 14 days after planting, and the leaf area and dry biomass were measured. The Richards function fitted to the data enabled the derivation of absolute growth rate, relative growth rate and net assimilation rate. The susceptible biotype had a higher biomass accumulation during the early stages, with both biotypes having the same size, afterwards. The higher net assimilation rate of the resistant biotype during the early stages of growth was balanced by its lower size during the first four weeks of growth. It was concluded that both biotypes have the same size, being very likely that resistant and susceptible Bidens pilosa have the same competitiveness.
herbicide resistance; growth analysis; Richards function; growth rate
