Abstract: Background: Weeds pose a significant challenge to Argentine crops, leading to herbicide resistance and environmental concerns. Objective: To identify key weed problems, assess management practices, and herbicide use. Methods: A web-based survey system, with closed questions, was distributed from March to August 2020 among 147 agricultural stakeholders related to soybean, corn, wheat, and sunflower crops in Argentina. Results: Notable troublesome weeds included Conyza bonariensis (L.) Cronq., Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop., Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn., Amaranthus hybridus L., and Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers. Herbicide usage was as follows: 86% used burndown fallow chemical control, 51% adhered to labeled application rates, 40% applied herbicides at the labeled growth stage, and 37% rotated modes of action. Non-chemical controls were also employed, with 67% favoring crop rotation and 36% focused on preventing weed seed production. Glyphosate was the dominant herbicide, employed by over 90% of respondents. For summer crops, frequently used herbicides included paraquat, 2,4-D (80% of respondents), atrazine (60% of respondents), sulfentrazone, flumioxazin, S-metolachlor (60% of respondents), and clethodim (65% of respondents). In winter cereals, 2,4-D, flurochloridone, flumioxazin, and pyroxasulfone were the top choices. Conclusions: This survey underscores the high reliance on chemical control in Argentina's major crops. The findings provide crucial insights for regional policy planning, emphasizing the importance of integrating diverse weed management tactics. It also highlights the need for proactive integrated management strategies at the field level to mitigate and prevent weed issues in Argentina, offering a valuable approach for analyzing weed problems in extensive crops worldwide. Abstract Background concerns Objective practices use Methods webbased web based system questions 202 14 soybean corn wheat Argentina Results L. L (L. Cronq Cronq. Scop Scop. Gaertn Gaertn. Pers follows 86 51 rates 40 stage 37 action Nonchemical Non 67 36 production 90 respondents paraquat 2,4D 24D D 2,4 2 4 80% 80 (80 respondents, , respondents) 60% 60 (60 sulfentrazone flumioxazin Smetolachlor S metolachlor 65% 65 (65 . cereals 2,4D, D, flurochloridone choices Conclusions Argentinas s planning tactics worldwide 20 1 (L 8 5 3 6 9 4D 24 2, (8 (6 (

The increasing human population, per capita consumption and complexity of the urban centers, promoted the expansion and intensification of agriculture. These changes generated global environmental problems such as the alteration of: i) the biogeochemical cycles, ii) the land use, iii) the biodiversity at all levels, and iv) the dispersion of the biota beyond natural geographical limits. Permanent technological innovations intended to maintain ecosystem properties and functions, creating the appearance of relative ecosystem stability and retarding the perception of environmental degradation. Ecosystem functioning could be maintained avoiding the actual tendency of specialization of the productive system. Although specialized systems could seem more productive than complex ones to farmer eyes, it is also possible that this perception has been promoted by agricultural research, which developed a suitable "tool box" of experiments for the development of technologies for simple systems. Researchers have a fundamental role in the generation of new tools that resemble nature, favoring nutrient cycling, biodiversity and natural mechanisms of regulation, and farmers have a very important role the conservation of ecosystem properties and functions by planning agricultural system avoiding over simplification.

El crecimiento de la población humana, el consumo per capita y la complejidad de los centros urbanos impulsaron la expansión de la agricultura y la intensificación productiva por unidad de superficie. Estos cambios contribuyeron a la generación de problemas ambientales globales como la alteración de: i) los ciclos biogeoquímicos, ii) los usos de la tierra, iii) la biodiversidad global a todos los niveles, y iv) la dispersión de la biota más allá de los límites geográficos naturales. Las innovaciones tecnológicas continuas mantuvieron el funcionamiento del ecosistema, lo cual da una apariencia de relativa estabilidad y retarda la percepción del deterioro del ambiente. El funcionamiento del ecosistema podría favorecerse al revertir la tendencia actual de degradación del ambiente agrícola y de especialización de la producción agrícola. Aunque los sistemas especializados pueden parecer más productivos a los ojos del agricultor, es posible también que esta percepción haya sido inducida por gran parte de la investigación agrícola, que tiene una "caja de herramientas adecuadas" de experimentos para el desarrollo de tecnología en sistemas simples. Por ello, los investigadores tienen un papel fundamental en la generación de nuevas herramientas que imiten a la naturaleza, y que favorezcan el reciclado de nutrientes, la biodiversidad y los mecanismos de regulación natural. Los agricultores también tienen un papel muy importante en la conservación de las propiedades y funciones del ecosistema, a partir del desafío de planificar un sistema agrícola diverso y complejo, pero al mismo tiempo productivo.