ITHACA, N.Y. — The invasive pigweed Palmer amaranth, first found in New York soybean fields in 2019, has been dubbed the “spotted lanternfly of weeds” for its ability to spread quickly and wreak havoc on crops. Now a new study sheds light on how formidable an opponent the weed is for New York state growers – and offers a way forward.

In a paper published in the journal Weed Science on Oct. 28, researchers find that some known Palmer amaranth populations – collected from Steuben, Genesee and Orange counties – have resistance to glyphosate, the leading weed control chemistry used in soybean crops. Researchers also confirmed the mechanism for resistance in the populations and identified classes of herbicides that are still effective.