Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson: A new threat to agriculture in Europe and the Mediterranean region

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Cited 8 times in Scopus logo

Cited 6 times in Web of Science logo

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The authors would like to thank Danielle Neta for her assistance in drawing Figure 1. Spanish contributors: Plant Health and Certification Centre of Aragon and Department of Agriculture of Catalonia, Livestock and the Environment and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (FEADER).

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Pardo, GabrielAuthorCirujeda, AliciaAuthorMari León, Ana IsabelAuthor

June 15, 2024

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Publicated to:Weed Research. 65 (1): - 2025-01-01 65(1), DOI: 10.1111/wre.12596

Authors: Matzrafi, Maor; Scarabel, Laura; Milani, Andrea; Iamonico, Duilio; Torra, Joel; Recasens, Jordi; Montull, Jose Maria; Llenes, Josep Maria; Gazoulis, Ioannis; Tataridas, Alexandros; Rubin, Baruch; Pardo, Gabriel; Cirujeda, Alicia; Mari, Ana Isabel; Mennan, Husrev; Kanatas, Panagiotis; Dogan, Mehmet Nedim; Travlos, Ilias

Affiliations

Adnan Menderes Univ, Dept Plant Protect, Aydin, Turkiye - Author

Agr Res Org ARO, Newe Yaar Res Ctr, Dept Plant Pathol & Weed Res, Ramat Yishay, Israel - Author

Agr Res Org Volcani, Dept Plant Pathol & Weed Res, Newe Yaar Res Ctr, Ramat Yishay, Israel - Author

Agr Univ Athens, Dept Crop Sci, Lab Agron, 75 Iera Odos St, Athens 11855, Greece - Author

Dept Sistemas Agr Forestales & Medio Ambiente SAFM, Zaragoza, Spain - Author

Generalitat Catalunya, Serv San Vegetal, Lleida, Spain - Author

Hebrew Univ Jerusalem, Robert H Smith Inst Plant Sci & Genet Agr, Rehovot, Israel - Author

Natl Res Council CNR, Inst Sustainable Plant Protect IPSP, Legnaro, Italy - Author

Ondokuz Mayis Univ, Dept Plant Protect, Samsun, Turkiye - Author

Univ Lleida, Agrotecnio CERCA Ctr, Dept Hortofructicultura Bot & Jardineria, Lleida, Spain - Author

Univ Patras, Dept Crop Sci, Mesolonghi, Greece - Author

Univ Rome Sapienza, Dept Environm Biol, Rome, Italy - Author

Univ Zaragoza, Inst Agroalimentario Aragon IA2, CITA, Zaragoza, Spain - Author

Abstract

Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson is a dioecious broad-leaved species characterised by rapid growth, high seed production, efficient resource use and adaptability to diverse environments and cropping systems. A. palmeri populations are spreading beyond their native range in south western United States, into the Mediterranean region and have been reported in several European and Mediterranean countries. First stands were located along roadsides, and later in nearby agricultural fields. Possible routes of introduction include contaminated animal feed and grain shipments for industrial processing. Some European A. palmeri populations appear to be already resistant to 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase and acetolactate synthase inhibitors when imported. Recent studies suggest that this trait may have evolved in the origin country before the introduction into southern Europe and the wider Mediterranean region. Effective, transboundary networks have to be established between farmers and researchers to raise agricultural community awareness and continuously monitor the invasiveness of A. palmeri in Europe. In this review, we first highlight botanical characteristics that allow accurate identification of A. palmeri from closely related Amaranthus species. Then, we summarise recent reports on the occurrence of A. palmeri in Europe and the Mediterranean region. We proceed to assess future invasion and spread across Europe according to climate and agricultural practices. In addition, we review measures to early detect A. palmeri and emphasised on feasible, chemical and non-chemical weed control methods as components of integrated weed management to mitigate the impact of A. palmeri invasion on European agriculture.

Keywords

Deep tillageDioeciousEarly detectionEmergenceGlyphosate resistanceGrowthHerbicide resistanceInvasiveManagementRye cover cropSeed contaminantStrategiesWeed managemenWeed populationsYiel

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Weed Research due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2025, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Agronomy and Crop Science.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from the Field Citation Ratio (FCR) of the Dimensions source, it yields a value of: 4.51, which indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: Dimensions Oct 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-10-28, the following number of citations:

WoS: 6
Scopus: 8

Impact and social visibility

Leadership analysis of institutional authors