How can resistance be prevented?
The only way to absolutely prevent resistance is to not use herbicides. Each time a herbicide is used, there is a chance to increase the selection for a resistant biotype. However, we can do several practices to delay resistance: 1) use IPM and only respray fields when necessary, 2) rotate among herbicides with different modes of action, 3) tank mix herbicides with different modes of action (both herbicides must be active on the same weed spectrum for this strategy to be effective), 4) cultivate and rotary hoe, 5) rotate to crops that use herbicides with different modes of action or crops like alfalfa or wheat that are not treated often with herbicides, and 6) avoid spreading resistant weeds from field to field if resistance develops.
