Scientists at the University of Illinois recently published comprehensive genome information for three noxious agricultural weeds: waterhemp, smooth pigweed and Palmer amaranth. The three plants are causing major agricultural losses across the globe. But genomes completed by the university and published in a recent Genome Biology and Evolution study may help other researchers in developing new tools to clear the weeds from important agricultural crops. “These genome assemblies will greatly foster further research on these difficult weed species, including better understanding the ways in which they evade damage from herbicides,” Pat Tranel, professor and associate head of the Department of Crop Sciences at ...