Despite efforts to eliminate weeds, they continue to thrive. Weed persistence is reliant upon the soil seedbank. Knowledge of the soil seedbank is continually expanding, but with the rising threat of herbicide-resistant weeds in agriculture, weed scientists have, in the past, focused their management tactics to more short-term solutions that tackle the aboveground problems, rather than long-term solutions. This article summarized the soil seedbank dynamics of weed seeds and derives management options, from a North American weed scientists’ perspective, that (i) favor the depletion of the seedbank, (ii) favor the germination of the seedbank, and (iii) reduce the possibilities of seed produced by the seedlings that germinated to return the soil. These options can potentially deter herbicide resistance and are successful in the short term for reducing field weed infestations, but are likely to take many years to affect recruitment to the weed seedbank, including recruitment of weed species with a high risk for resistance. The natural longevity of the seedbank suggests that alternative or additional weed management tactics are required to reduce the store of weed seeds in the active seedbank.

Two of the most problematicAmaranthusspecies in soybean production today are tall waterhemp and Palmer amaranth. This study determined the percentage of tall waterhemp and Palmer amaranth seed that was retained by the weed at soybean maturity to assess the likelihood of using at-harvest weed seed control tactics for soil seedbank management. Palmer amaranth plants were collected from fields in Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri, and Nebraska, and tall waterhemp plants were collected from fields in Nebraska, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Collected plants were assessed for at-harvest weed seed retention in 2013 and 2014. Within 1 wk of soybean maturity,Amaranthusplants were harvested and the loose soil and debris beneath the plants were swept into a pan with a hand broom to collect any shattered seed. Percent seed retention ranged from 95 to 100% for all states both years, regardless of species. There was a strong correlation between weed biomass (g) and total seed production (no. plant⁻¹) in that the larger the plant, the more seeds it produced. However, there was no correlation between percent seed retention and weed biomass, which indicates that regardless of plant size and likely time of emergence, seed retention is high at the time of crop maturity. Overall, this study demonstrated that there is great opportunity for Palmer amaranth and tall waterhemp seed capture or destruction at soybean harvest. It is likely that nearly all of the seeds produced for bothAmaranthusspecies passes through the combine during harvest to be returned to the soil seedbank. Thus, there is continued need for research focused on developing and testing harvest weed seed control tactics that aim at reducing the soil seedbank and lowering risks for evolution of herbicide resistance.

Herbicide‐resistant weeds affect every major cropping system today. Worldwide, there are 47 and 51 confirmed cases of herbicide‐resistant weed populations in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and rice (Oryza sativa L.) production systems, respectively. Alternatives to herbicides are necessary to help combat herbicide‐resistant weeds. The integrated Harrington Seed Destructor (iHSD) has been developed to destroy weed seeds during crop harvest but has yet to be tested on weeds in soybean or rice. Thus, the objective of this research was to determine the effectiveness of the iHSD in soybean and rice and to evaluate any limitations. Three experiments were conducted using a stationary iHSD mill. First, the efficacy of the iHSD was evaluated on weed seeds incorporated into soybean residue or rice chaff. Second, varying soybean chaff feeding rates were tested to determine the amount that could be processed without interfering with weed seed destruction. Third, varying soybean chaff moisture levels were tested to determine any limitations that high moisture content may have on the iHSD. The iHSD demonstrated high weed seed destruction efficacy (<1% survival) for 11 of the 12 weed species of soybean. Common cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium L.) seed had 3% survival. In rice, <1% survival was observed in all weed species. The soybean feeding rate and moisture experiments yielded <1% survival across all treatments. These results show that the use of the iHSD can be highly effective in soybean and rice production for reducing inputs to the soil seedbank. These studies highlight the promising seed destruction potential of the iHSD but also demonstrate opportunities for further research evaluating the iHSD as a combine‐fitted system operating under commercial scale production fields.

Weeds have been historically, and are still today, the primary and most economically important pest in agriculture. Several selection pressures associated with weed management, such as an overreliance on herbicides, have promoted the rapid evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds. Integrated Weed Management (IWM) is promoted as an ecological systems approach, through the combination of biological, chemical, cultural, ecological, and mechanical control methods. The concept of a systems approach is defined as managing weeds by combining practice and knowledge with the goals of increasing yield and minimizing economic loss, minimizing risks to human health and the environment, and reducing energy requirements and off-target impacts. The reliance on herbicides in modern cropping systems has shifted the management focus from requiring intimate knowledge of biology, ecology, and ecological systems to herbicide chemistry, mixes, and rotations, application technology, and herbicide-tolerant crop traits. Here, an ecological systems approach is considered, examining new trends and technologies in relation to IWM and weed ecology. Prevention of spread, seedbank management, crop rotations, tillage, cover crops, competitive cultivars, biological weed control, and future solutions in concept-only are presented, and knowledge gaps are identified where research advancements may be possible. An ecological systems approach will provide improved stewardship of new herbicide technologies and reduce herbicide resistance evolution through diversification of selection pressures. Agroecological interactions should be studied in light of new, developing weed control technologies. The science of weed management needs to refocus on the foundations of weed biology and ecology to enable an ecological systems approach and promote agricultural sustainability.