Summary1. Quantification of fitness differences between herbicide-resistant and herbicidesusceptible weeds permits better prediction of herbicide resistance, and the design of weed management strategies to exploit those traits that result in reduced ecological performance. Reported here is the first attempt to compare the germination and seedling emergence characteristics of one herbicide-susceptible and two herbicide-resistant phenotypes from a single weed population. 2. A series of experiments was carried out in controlled conditions to study seed germination and emergence in Lolium rigidum phenotypes possessing target-site and non-target-site mechanisms of herbicide resistance. Lines composed of herbicidesusceptible (S), metabolism-based (P450) and target site-based (ACCase) resistant individuals, isolated from a single multiple-resistant population (SLR31), were used in the comparative experiments. 3. No major differences in seedling emergence were found among the phenotypes when exposed to an alternating 25/15 ° C cycle with a 12-hourly photoperiod. However, the absence of light associated with soil burial (1-8 cm) markedly inhibited total germination and seedling emergence in the ACCase phenotype compared with the S and P450 phenotypes. 4. Germination at constant temperatures was also inhibited in seeds of the ACCase phenotype, which showed the highest base temperature ( T b ) for germination and required more time to reach 50% emergence ( t E50 ) than the S and P450 phenotypes. 5. Seedling emergence from deep burial (8 cm) in soil promoted significantly higher fatal germination in the S and P450 phenotypes compared with the ACCase phenotype. Despite fatal germination, the S phenotype produced greater emergence from deep burial than both herbicide-resistant phenotypes. 6. Synthesis and applications. This study demonstrates differential germination and emergence responses to light and thermal environments between herbicide-susceptible phenotypes and phenotypes possessing target-site (ACCase) and non-target site (P450) herbicide resistance within a single L. rigidum population. Shallow seed burial (1 cm) by any cultivation tool will potentially inhibit seedling recruitment of the ACCase phenotype in contrast with the S and P450 phenotypes, which require less restricted conditions to germinate and emerge.

The world has faced an unprecedented challenge when coronavirus (COVID-19) emerged as a pandemic. Millions of people have contracted the virus and a significant number of them lost their lives, resulting in a tremendous social and economic shock across the globe. Amid the growing burden of the pandemic, there are parallel emergencies that need to be simultaneously tackled: the proliferation of fake medicines, fake news and medication misinformation surrounding COVID-19. Pharmacists are key health professionals with the required skills and training to contribute to the fight against these emergencies. Primarily, they can be a relevant source of accurate and reliable information to the public or other fellow health professionals thereby reducing the spread of COVID-19 medication misinformation. This can be achieved by providing accurate and reliable information based on recommendations given by relevant health authorities and professional associations to make sure the community understand the importance of the message and thus minimise the detrimental consequences of the pandemic. This commentary aims to summarise the existing literature in relation to the promising treatments currently under trial, the perils of falsified medications and medicine-related information and the role of pharmacists in taking a leading role in combating these parallel global emergencies.

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The composition of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) seed milling fractions depends upon the relative abundance of various seed tissues in each. Fancy (light)¯our contains mainly central endosperm, while the bran milling fraction has seed coat and some embryo tissues. Phytate, found in protein bodies of embryo and aleurone cells, is the major storage form of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and some microelements in seeds. Phytic acid (35±38 g kg À1) and minerals are concentrated in bran, a milling fraction with high concentrations of phytate-rich tissues. Polyphenolics, including condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins), are also concentrated in bran (11± 15 g kg ) in groats of tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum (L) Gaertn) than in groats of common buckwheat. Only small amounts of quercetin were detected. Bran is a concentrated source of phytic acid and tannins, a consideration in consumption of large amounts of buckwheat bran for nutritional or medicinal purposes.

Dormancy release in seeds of Lolium rigidum Gaud. (annual ryegrass) was investigated in relation to temperature and seed water content. Freshly matured seeds were collected from cropping fields at Wongan Hills and Merredin, Western Australia. Seeds from Wongan Hills were equilibrated to water contents between 6 and 18% dry weight and after-ripened at constant temperatures between 9 and 50°C for up to 23 weeks. Wongan Hills and Merredin seeds at water contents between 7 and 17% were also after-ripened in full sun or shade conditions. Dormancy was tested at regular intervals during after-ripening by germinating seeds on agar at 12-h alternating 15°C (dark) and 25°C (light) periods.Rate of dormancy release for Wongan Hills seeds was a positive linear function of after-ripening temperature above a base temperature (Tb) of 5.4°C. A thermal after-ripening time model for dormancy loss accounting for seed moisture in the range 6–18% was developed using germination data for Wongan Hills seeds after-ripened at constant temperatures. The model accurately predicted dormancy release for Wongan Hills seeds after-ripened under naturally fluctuating temperatures. Seeds from Merredin responded similarly but had lower dormancy at collection and a faster rate of dormancy release in seeds below 9% water content.