Target-site basis for resistance to acetolactate synthase inhibitor in Water chickweed (Myosoton aquaticum L.)

Water chickweed is a widespread and competitive winter annual or biennial weed of wheat in China. One Water chickweed population (HN02) resistant to several acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors was found in Henan province of China. Whole-plant bioassays showed that HN02 was high resistance to tribenuron (292.05-flod). In vitro ALS assays revealed that resistance was due to reduced sensitivity of the ALS enzyme to tribenuron. The 150 value for HN02 was 85.53 times greater respectively than that of susceptible population (SD05). This altered ALS sensitivity in the resistant population was due to a mutation in the ALS gene resulting in a Prol 97 to Ser substitution. Cross-resistance experiments indicated that HN02 exhibited various resistance patterns to pyrithiobac-sodium, florasulam and pyroxsulam, without resistance to imazethapyr. This is the first report of tribenuron-resistant Water chickweed in Henan province of China, target-site based resistance was established as being due to an insensitive form of ALS, resulting from a Pro to Ser substitution at amino acid position 197 in the ALS gene. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.