Herbicide Resistance (herbicide + resistance)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Life Sciences


Selected Abstracts


Consequence of herbivory for the fitness cost of herbicide resistance: photosynthetic variation in the context of plant,herbivore interactions

JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2005
A. J. Gassmann
Abstract The cost of adaptations may depend on environmental conditions. We consider how the fitness cost of resistance to the herbicide triazine in Amaranthus hybridus interacts with folivory from the beetle Disonycha glabrata. Triazine-resistant (TR) genotypes suffer a fitness cost because of a pleiotropic reduction in the light reaction of photosynthesis, which in turn often leads to a reduction in photosynthetic rate. We found that the fitness cost of triazine resistance was 360% greater in the presence than absence of D. glabrata. This resulted from multiple phenotypic trade-offs, with TR plants suffering greater herbivory and displaying a diminished tolerance of damage. Our work highlights the importance of incorporating appropriate ecological variation into the assessment of fitness trade-offs. The results of this study also illustrate the potential for herbivores to impose selection on photosynthetic variation, and for variation in resource acquisition to obscure fitness costs. [source]


Excision of selectable marker genes from transgenic crops as a concern for environmental biosafety

JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 14 2007
Satheesh Natarajan
Abstract The main task in the development of transgenic plants is the capability to distinguish between plant cells with an integrated transgene and the bulk of non-transformed cells. Selectable marker genes are required to achieve this goal within the transgene, and to select for their expression. These selectable markers are mostly based on genes conferring antibiotic or herbicide resistance. The presence of the marker gene will lead to unpredictable environmental hazards, so on the basis of economic incentives and safety concerns, several methods, such as site-specific recombination, homologous recombination and co-transformation, have been developed to eliminate these genes from the genome after successful transformation has been achieved. Gene transfer without the incorporation of an antibiotic-resistance marker or herbicide-resistance marker in the host genome should convince the public with regard to the field release of transgenic organisms. Moreover, it would obviate the need for different selectable markers in subsequent rounds of gene transfer into the same host. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry [source]


Can we stop transgenes from taking a walk on the wild side?

MOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2008
KATRINA M. DLUGOSCH
Abstract Whether the potential costs associated with broad-scale use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) outweigh possible benefits is highly contentious, including within the scientific community. Even among those generally in favour of commercialization of GM crops, there is nonetheless broad recognition that transgene escape into the wild should be minimized. But is it possible to achieve containment of engineered genetic elements in the context of large scale agricultural production? In a previous study, Warwick et al. (2003) documented transgene escape via gene flow from herbicide resistant (HR) canola (Brassica napus) into neighbouring weedy B. rapa populations (Fig. 1) in two agricultural fields in Quebec, Canada. In a follow-up study in this issue of Molecular Ecology, Warwick et al. (2008) show that the transgene has persisted and spread within the weedy population in the absence of selection for herbicide resistance. Certainly a trait like herbicide resistance is expected to spread when selected through the use of the herbicide, despite potentially negative epistatic effects on fitness. However, Warwick et al.'s findings suggest that direct selection favouring the transgene is not required for its persistence. So is there any hope of preventing transgene escape into the wild? Figure 1. Weedy Brassica rapa (orange flags) growing in a B. napus field. (Photo: MJ Simard) [source]


A strategy to provide long-term control of weedy rice while mitigating herbicide resistance transgene flow, and its potential use for other crops with related weeds

PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 7 2009
Jonathan Gressel
Abstract Transgenic herbicide-resistant rice is needed to control weeds that have evolved herbicide resistance, as well as for the weedy (feral, red) rice problem, which has been exacerbated by shifting to direct seeding throughout the world,firstly in Europe and the Americas, and now in Asia, as well as in parts of Africa. Transplanting had been the major method of weedy rice control. Experience with imidazolinone-resistant rice shows that gene flow to weedy rice is rapid, negating the utility of the technology. Transgenic technologies are available that can contain herbicide resistance within the crop (cleistogamy, male sterility, targeting to chloroplast genome, etc.), but such technologies are leaky. Mitigation technologies tandemly couple (genetically link) the gene of choice (herbicide resistance) with mitigation genes that are neutral or good for the crop, but render hybrids with weedy rice and their offspring unfit to compete. Mitigation genes confer traits such as non-shattering, dwarfism, no secondary dormancy and herbicide sensitivity. It is proposed to use glyphosate and glufosinate resistances separately as genes of choice, and glufosinate, glyphosate and bentazone susceptibilities as mitigating genes, with a six-season rotation where each stage kills transgenic crop volunteers and transgenic crop × weed hybrids from the previous season. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source]


Are herbicide-resistant crops the answer to controlling Cuscuta?

PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 7 2009
Talia Nadler-Hassar
Abstract BACKGROUND: Herbicide-resistant crop technology could provide new management strategies for the control of parasitic plants. Three herbicide-resistant oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) genotypes were used to examine the response of attached Cuscuta campestris Yuncker to glyphosate, imazamox and glufosinate. Cuscata campestris was allowed to establish on all oilseed rape genotypes before herbicides were applied. RESULTS: Unattached seedlings of C. campestris, C. subinclusa Durand & Hilg. and C. gronovii Willd. were resistant to imazamox and glyphosate and sensitive to glufosinate, indicating that resistance initially discovered in C. campestris is universal to all Cuscuta species. Glufosinate applied to C. campestris attached to glufosinate-resistant oilseed rape had little impact on the parasite, while imazamox completely inhibited C. campestris growth on the imidazolinone-resistant host. The growth of C. campestris on glyphosate-resistant host was initially inhibited by glyphosate, but the parasite recovered and resumed growth within 3,4 weeks. CONCLUSION: The ability of C. campestris to recover was related to the quality of interaction between the host and parasite and to the resistance mechanism of the host. The parasite was less likely to recover when it had low compatibility with the host, indicating that parasite-resistant crops coupled with herbicide resistance could be highly effective in controlling Cuscuta. Published 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Crops with target-site herbicide resistance for Orobanche and Striga control

PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 5 2009
Jonathan Gressel
Abstract It is necessary to control root parasitic weeds before or as they attach to the crop. This can only be easily achieved chemically with herbicides that are systemic, or with herbicides that are active in soil. Long-term control can only be attained if the crops do not metabolise the herbicide, i.e. have target-site resistance. Such target-site resistances have allowed foliar applications of herbicides inhibiting enol-pyruvylshikimate phosphate synthase (EPSPS) (glyphosate), acetolactate synthase (ALS) (e.g. chlorsulfuron, imazapyr) and dihydropteroate synthase (asulam) for Orobanche control in experimental conditions with various crops. Large-scale use of imazapyr as a seed dressing of imidazolinone-resistant maize has been commercialised for Striga control. Crops with two target-site resistances will be more resilient to the evolution of resistance in the parasite, if well managed. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source]


Modelling binary mixtures of herbicides in populations resistant to one of the components: evaluation for resistance management

PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 2 2009
Bertrand Jacquemin
Abstract BACKGROUND: Herbicide mixtures are commonly proposed to delay the selection of herbicide resistance in susceptible populations (called the SM strategy). However, in practice, herbicide mixtures are often used when resistance to one of the two active ingredients has already been detected in the targeted population (called the RM strategy). It is doubtful whether such a practice can select against resistance, as the corresponding selection pressure is still exerted. As a consequence, the effect of mixtures on the evolution of an already detected resistance to one of the herbicides in the combination remains largely unexplored. In the present work, a simple model was developed to explore further the necessary and sufficient conditions under which a binary RM strategy might stabilise or even reduce resistance frequency. RESULTS: Covering the hypothetical largest range of parameters, 39% of 9000 random simulations attest that the RM strategy might theoretically reduce resistance frequency. When strong enough, high genetic cost of resistance, negative cross-resistance between the herbicides associated in the mixture and reduced selection differential between resistant and susceptible plants can counterbalance the resistance advantage to one of the two applied herbicides. However, the required conditions for an RM strategy to ensure resistance containment in natural conditions seldom overlap with experimental parameter estimates given in the literature. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the sufficient conditions for an RM strategy to be effective would rarely be encountered. As a consequence, the strategy of formulating mixtures with herbicides for which resistance has already been detected should be avoided. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry [source]


Transformation of carrots with mutant acetolactate synthase for Orobanche (broomrape) control

PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 12 2002
Dvora Aviv
Abstract Parasitic Orobanche spp are major constraints to vegetable crop production in the Mediterranean basin (to eastern Europe) and in localized places in India, China and the USA. Transgenic target-site herbicide resistance (eg, to acetolactate synthase inhibitors) allows for movement of un-metabolized herbicide through the crop to the photosynthate sink in the parasite, as well as through the soil. We report the successful engineering of a mutant acetolactate synthase (ALS) gene into carrot, allowing control of broomrape already in heterozygotes of the first back-crossed generation, by imazapyr, an imidazolinone ALS inhibitor. It is expected that homozygotes will have higher levels of resistance. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry [source]


Viability and bar expression are negatively correlated in Oregon Wolfe Barley Dominant hybrids

PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 3 2007
Phil Bregitzer
Summary The expression level of bar, which encodes phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT), was correlated with the inviability of barley hybrids between 20 Golden Promise-derived transgenic lines (Ds-bar lines) and a specialized genetic marker stock, Oregon Wolfe Barley Dominant (OWBD). Each Ds-bar line was homozygous for a modified maize Ds element that encoded bar and that had been delivered via transposition to a unique location. All Ds-bar lines were viable and morphologically similar. Only four of the 20 hybrid populations were viable. The remaining populations died prior to producing seed. Phenotypic, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analyses of these lines, and of lines from unrelated transformation events that also expressed bar, showed that viability was negatively correlated with bar expression. Analysis of crosses of a high- bar -expressing line with the OWB mapping population showed that the sensitivity of OWBD to PAT segregated as a single locus on chromosome 6HL. No sensitivity to PAT could be detected in several other lines and cultivars. OWBD has been shown to be genetically divergent from other germplasm groups within cultivated barley; therefore, the observed sensitivity may be peculiar to OWBD and thus would not impact generally on the utility of bar as a selectable marker or source of herbicide resistance in barley. Nevertheless, these results demonstrate the extent of allelic variability present in Hordeum vulgare, and suggest an additional variable for consideration when devising protocols for the transformation of Hordeum cultivars or landraces that are not known to be tolerant to PAT. [source]


Immunomodulation confers herbicide resistance in plants

PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 3 2004
Kurt C. Almquist
Summary In order to create a novel mechanism for herbicide resistance in plants, we expressed a single-chain antibody fragment (scFv) in tobacco with specific affinity to the auxinic herbicide picloram. Transgenic tobacco plants and seedlings expressing this scFv against picloram were protected from its effect in a dose-dependent manner. This is the first successful use of an antibody to confer in vivo resistance to a low molecular weight xenobiotic (i.e. < 1000 Da). Our results suggest the possibility for a generic antibody-based approach to create crops resistant to low molecular weight xenobiotics for subsequent use in the bioremediation of contaminated soils, crop protection and as novel selectable markers. [source]


Graminicide resistance in a blackgrass (Alopecurus myosuroides) population correlates with insensitivity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase

PLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 1 2004
L. J. PRICE
ABSTRACT The appearance of biotypes of the annual grass weed black-grass (Alopecurus myosuroides L. Huds), which are resistant to certain graminicides, is the most significant example of acquired resistance to herbicides seen so far in European agriculture. An investigation was perfomed into the basis of the specific cross-resistance to cyclohexanedione (CHD) and aryloxyphenoxypropionoic acid (AOPP) herbicides in the ,Notts A1' population of A. myosuroides, which survived treatment of fields with recommended rates of AOPP herbicides. In comparison with the wild-type ,Rothamsted' population, the resistant biotype showed over 100-fold resistance to these herbicides in a hydroponic growth system. Biosynthesis of fatty acids and activity of crude extracts of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) were commensurately less sensitive to these herbicides in Notts A1 compared with the Rothamsted biotype. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that the highly resistant population has arisen through selection of a mutant ACCase which is much less sensitive to the AOPP and CHD graminicides. Rapidly growing cell suspension cultures established from the Notts A1 population also showed high resistance indices for CHD or AOPP herbicides compared with cultures from the Rothamsted biotype. Fatty acid biosynthesis and ACCase activity in the cell suspensions were similarly sensitive towards the graminicides to those in the foliar tissue counterparts of the resistant and sensitive populations. Moreover, purification of the main (chloroplast) isoform of acetyl-CoA carboxylase showed that this enzyme from the Notts A1 population was over 200-fold less sensitive towards the AOPP herbicide, quizalofop, than the equivalent isoform from the Rothamsted population. These data again fully supported the proposal that resistance in the Notts biotype is due to an insensitive acetyl-CoA carboxylase isoform. Overall, cell suspensions were also demonstrated to be excellent tools for further investigation of the molecular basis of the high level herbicide resistance which is prone to occur in A. myosuroides. [source]


Economic contribution of French serradella (Ornithopus sativus Brot.) pasture to integrated weed management in Western Australian mixed-farming systems: an application of compressed annealing,

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2009
Graeme J. Doole
Sowing phases of French serradella (Ornithopus sativus Brot.) pasture between extended cropping sequences in the Western Australian wheatbelt can sustain grain production through restoring soil fertility and reducing selective herbicide use. The objective of this article is to investigate the profitability of rotations involving this pasture under a variety of weed management scenarios to obtain greater insight into its value for mixed farming systems in this region. A stochastic search procedure, compressed annealing, is used to identify profitable sets of weed management strategies in a simulation model representing a large number of potential combinations of chemical and non-chemical forms of weed control. In contrast to a continuous-cropping sequence, the inclusion of a serradella phase in a rotation is profitable at high weed densities and with increasing levels of herbicide resistance. A single year of pasture in the rotation is optimal if resistance to Group A selective herbicides is present at the beginning of the planning horizon, but a three-year phase is required if resistance to multiple herbicide groups is observed. Sowing a serradella pasture twice over a two-year phase is also shown to be economically attractive given benefits of successive high weed kills. [source]


Evaluating combined land conservation benefits from perennial pasture: lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) for management of dryland salinity and herbicide resistance in Western Australia,

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2009
Graeme J. Doole
The inclusion of perennial pasture phases in cropping rotations has been widely promoted throughout Australia for reducing the incidence of dryland salinity. To a lesser extent, they have also been promoted to enhance the management of herbicide-resistant weeds. No previous economic analysis of perennial pasture has considered both of these benefits. This study combines a dynamic linear programming model to estimate the magnitude of salinity-related benefits and a complex simulation model to assess the economics of herbicide-resistance management. We present a case study of the perennial pasture lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia, where the weed annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaudin) is resistant to multiple herbicide groups. Sequences incorporating lucerne are the most profitable land use at the standard set of parameter values if (i) annual ryegrass is resistant to all selective herbicides, (ii) the water table is so shallow (approximately < 3.5 m deep) that frequent rotation with perennials is required to avert soil salinisation, (iii) sheep production is highly profitable, or (iv) there is a combination of less extreme cases. The value of perennial pasture is sufficient under these circumstances to overcome its high establishment cost and the displacement of multiple years of crop. Consideration of dryland salinity and herbicide resistance are about equally important in evaluating the economics of lucerne; neither should be neglected. [source]