Herbicide resistance prediction: a mechanistic model vs. a random forest model

IntroductionHerbicides are an important technology in the Integrated Weed Management (IWM) tool box aiming to control weeds in modern agriculture. Prediction tools to evaluate the risk of resistance evolution will greatly help to choose the best IWM strategy adapted to the local field situation. The...

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Main Authors: Otto Richter, Janin Lepke, Johannes Herrmann, Roland Beffa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-01-01
Series:Frontiers in Agronomy
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fagro.2024.1401716/full
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author Otto Richter
Janin Lepke
Johannes Herrmann
Roland Beffa
author_facet Otto Richter
Janin Lepke
Johannes Herrmann
Roland Beffa
author_sort Otto Richter
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionHerbicides are an important technology in the Integrated Weed Management (IWM) tool box aiming to control weeds in modern agriculture. Prediction tools to evaluate the risk of resistance evolution will greatly help to choose the best IWM strategy adapted to the local field situation. These comprise classical simulation models, mechanistic models (MMs), combining population dynamics and genetics, and recently artificial intelligence (AI) methods such as random forest. In this paper, both approaches are compared.Materials and methodsArtificial data were generated by an MM and used as training dataset for a random forest classifier. Field history information was taken from two previous studies. The data include the field histories and resistance status of Alopecurus myosuroides of 98 fields from the Hohenlohe area in Germany and 131 from the Champagne area in France.Results and discussionWith accuracies of approximately 80%, the results obtained by the random forest method applied to model-generated data and real field data, respectively, are well comparable. This concerns the ranking of prediction variables and the prediction of the resistance status of a real field and a “model field”. Predictions with model outcomes as training sets and, vice versa, predictions of a “model field” with real data as training sets and predictions by splitting of field data could be made with nearly the same accuracies.ConclusionComplementarity is shown between both approaches with the advantages of AI such as random forest to avoid approximations inherent to complex MMs.
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spelling doaj-art-20b70dd17e934239a4138ae97e9fc8372025-01-08T06:11:49ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Agronomy2673-32182025-01-01610.3389/fagro.2024.14017161401716Herbicide resistance prediction: a mechanistic model vs. a random forest modelOtto Richter0Janin Lepke1Johannes Herrmann2Roland Beffa3Institute of Geoecology, University of Technology Braunschweig, Braunschweig, GermanyInstitute of Geoecology, University of Technology Braunschweig, Braunschweig, GermanyAgris42 GmbH, Stuttgart, GermanyConsultant, Liederbach, GermanyIntroductionHerbicides are an important technology in the Integrated Weed Management (IWM) tool box aiming to control weeds in modern agriculture. Prediction tools to evaluate the risk of resistance evolution will greatly help to choose the best IWM strategy adapted to the local field situation. These comprise classical simulation models, mechanistic models (MMs), combining population dynamics and genetics, and recently artificial intelligence (AI) methods such as random forest. In this paper, both approaches are compared.Materials and methodsArtificial data were generated by an MM and used as training dataset for a random forest classifier. Field history information was taken from two previous studies. The data include the field histories and resistance status of Alopecurus myosuroides of 98 fields from the Hohenlohe area in Germany and 131 from the Champagne area in France.Results and discussionWith accuracies of approximately 80%, the results obtained by the random forest method applied to model-generated data and real field data, respectively, are well comparable. This concerns the ranking of prediction variables and the prediction of the resistance status of a real field and a “model field”. Predictions with model outcomes as training sets and, vice versa, predictions of a “model field” with real data as training sets and predictions by splitting of field data could be made with nearly the same accuracies.ConclusionComplementarity is shown between both approaches with the advantages of AI such as random forest to avoid approximations inherent to complex MMs.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fagro.2024.1401716/fullpopulation dynamicspopulation geneticsresistance managementblack-grasscomparison AI and mechanistic models
spellingShingle Otto Richter
Janin Lepke
Johannes Herrmann
Roland Beffa
Herbicide resistance prediction: a mechanistic model vs. a random forest model
Frontiers in Agronomy
population dynamics
population genetics
resistance management
black-grass
comparison AI and mechanistic models
title Herbicide resistance prediction: a mechanistic model vs. a random forest model
title_full Herbicide resistance prediction: a mechanistic model vs. a random forest model
title_fullStr Herbicide resistance prediction: a mechanistic model vs. a random forest model
title_full_unstemmed Herbicide resistance prediction: a mechanistic model vs. a random forest model
title_short Herbicide resistance prediction: a mechanistic model vs. a random forest model
title_sort herbicide resistance prediction a mechanistic model vs a random forest model
topic population dynamics
population genetics
resistance management
black-grass
comparison AI and mechanistic models
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fagro.2024.1401716/full
work_keys_str_mv AT ottorichter herbicideresistancepredictionamechanisticmodelvsarandomforestmodel
AT janinlepke herbicideresistancepredictionamechanisticmodelvsarandomforestmodel
AT johannesherrmann herbicideresistancepredictionamechanisticmodelvsarandomforestmodel
AT rolandbeffa herbicideresistancepredictionamechanisticmodelvsarandomforestmodel