•	Define what a weed is, and the losses, environmental impact, and change in 
human behavior associated with weeds in crop (agronomic weeds) and non-crop/natural 
areas (noxious and invasive species). Understand and apply the basics of weed biology, 
weed movement, and reproduction for weed control.
•	Discuss the management strategies, economic challenges, and environmental 
impact of chemical, biological, non-chemical, and integrated weed management 
approaches for controlling weeds across crop and non-crop systems. 
•	Describe the major modes of action of herbicides, pesticide interactions, and 
the fate of herbicides in plants, and the environment.
•	Describe the development of herbicide resistant crops and weeds and the impact 
of resistance on sustainability of current weed management strategies from a chemical, 
cultural, and environmental perspective.

Section 1: Why are we Concerned with Weeds?
A. What is a weed and what are characteristics of weedy plants?
B. What are the types of losses (agronomic, environmental, economic, aesthetic, 
human/animal safety) caused by weeds? 
C. How do weeds change the way humans interact with the environment?

Section 2: Basic Weed Biology
A. What biological characteristics allow weeds to occupy specific environmental 
niches?
B. What are the various weed life cycles and morphologies?
C. What classifies a weed as noxious/invasive and how does this affect management 
and environmental impact of this species?
D. How do weeds disperse and what role do humans play in weed proliferation?
E. What is a weed seed bank and what factors are important for weed seed dormancy 
and germination?

Section 3: Methods of Weed Control
A. What are cultural ways in which to prevent the introduction, establishment, and 
spread of a weed species to a new area?
B. What are examples of chemical, biological, non-chemical weed control and what are 
the agronomic, economic, and environmental impacts of using this type of weed 
management strategy? How can these be utilized as part of an integrated weed 
management approach?
C. What are the broad categories of herbicides and application methods?

Section 4: Herbicide Behavior in Soil
A. What are the major processes affecting environmental fate of herbicides in the 
soil?
B. What are the major soil factors that affect herbicide efficacy and environmental 
fate of an herbicide (absorption, adsorption, and leeching)? 
C. How does herbicide physiochemistry affect the behavior of herbicides in the soil?
D. What are the major processes by which herbicides degrade in the environment?
E. What are best management practices and situations to avoid limiting the off-
target movement of pesticides into the environment?

Section 5: Herbicide Behavior in Plants
A. What factors affect absorption, translocation and metabolism of herbicides?
B. What is the fate of an herbicide once it’s applied to a plant?
C. What ways/factors can herbicides be “safened” to protect sensitive crops?
D. Describe the differences in pesticide interactions within the plant.

Section 6: Herbicides and Their Characteristics, Uses, and Modes of Action
A. Herbicides inhibiting acetyl CoA carboxylase
B. Herbicides inhibiting acetolactate synthase
C. Herbicides inhibiting photosynthesis of photosystem II
D. Photosystem I electron diverter
E. Herbicides inhibiting protoporphyrinogen oxidase 
F. Herbicides inhibiting carotenoid biosynthesis
G. Herbicides inhibiting EPSP synthase
H. Herbicides inhibiting glutamine synthetase
I. Herbicides inhibiting microtubule assembly
J. Herbicides inhibiting cell division
K. Herbicides inhibiting cellulose biosynthesis
L. Herbicides inhibiting lipid synthesis
M. Synthetic auxins
N. Unknown mode of action

Section 7: Herbicide Resistance and its Management
A. How have humans contributed to the development of herbicide resistant crops and 
weeds?
B. How are resistant weeds changing the way in which humans have to manage weeds in 
crop and non-crop areas?

Section 8: Weed Management Across Cropping Systems
A. Pastures and rangeland
B. Rights of way
C. Aquatic environments
D. Small grains
E. Vegetables 
F. Cotton
G. Corn
H. Peanuts
I. Turfgrass
J. Nursery crops
K. Organic systems
L. Perennial crops