oh my, or is it Scotch thistle? i think so.

the first time i ever saw one was 10 years ago.
today, there are fields full of them.
superman would be proud. (darn, where’s the kryptonite when we need it?)

a silver lining; many ‘weeds’ are medicinal plants originally allowed to live on the margins for that reason, or can be eaten themselves (i understand the kudzu mentioned in previous answer is edible, and japanese knotweed which we have in uk definitely is).

But the HY varieties so evolved had to be fed well with concentrates (chemical fertilizers) just like we feed concentrate feed to the superior breeds of animals and birds to boost their production.. In fact they are called high yielders by virtue of their capacity to convert the chemical nutrients into food.. The world was thus saved from an impending famine by these hitechs..

But the use of fertilizers etc also made the other non target fauna to get strong and breed more intensively.. thus necessitating the herbicide intervention (as in those days the chemicals were the ready solution to all problematic issues - from control of malaria thru DDT spray to kill the vector mosquito.. use of antibiotics against the bacterial infections in humans, evolution of nylons, plastics so on and so forth to serve our expanding utilities..

So the effort was least to invite any problem like the production of super weeds as suggested in your title but the right intentions to solve more pressing human issues thru chemical techniques that seemed to offer the solutions.. But the unexpected fall outs thereof have been infinite such as the production of super weeds, resistant pests, new bacterial and fungal races causing more complex diseases in the flora and fauna of this planet..

So instead of finding faults on the scientific methods, in view of the fact that the scientists themselves have become aware of the risks of chemical methods and started exploring more natural alternatives - like use of bio fertilizers, bio control agents to control pests etc.. - we should all unite to meet the emerging challenges of this kind.. in the faith that Nature that had offered us infinite variety of solutions in the past would not fail to guide us to hit upon suitable solutions to contemporary issues as well..

Was not Opuntia introduced (in India by the British) originally as a hedge became a menace and was controlled with a mealy bug rather than thru chemicals ?

Chrysanthemum spp was found to control the nematodes that infested the Crosandra plants which had to be controlled earlier with costly pesticide granules.. As farmers learnt to grow a crop of Chrysanthemum after the Crosandra to clean the soil of the pathological nematodes, the problem was solved without any chemical..!

Lots of examples could be cited but I stop here and just emphasise that we can hit upon proper ways to manage the noxious fauna thru minor / non chemical alterations in the eco system, that easily fit into the natural ambience..

Sounds intriguing!