A variety of potato is genetically modified to be resistant to a commonly used herbicide. When fields with this variety are sprayed with herbicide, all the potato plants survive, and only a small percentage of weeds in the field survive. Which best explains what will happen over the course of several growing seasons?

A. The weeds and potatoes will cross-pollinate to form a new plant species.
B. The surviving weeds will diminish in number each year until they are completely eradicated.
C. The resistance of the potato to the herbicide will diminish each year and require more modification.
D. The surviving weeds will develop a resistance to the herbicide that they will pass to succeeding generations.
E. The period it takes for the potato to reach maturation will decrease each growing season.