Herbicide-resistant sunflower plants and methods of use

Abstract

Novel herbicide-resistant sunflower plants designated as MUT31 and herbicide-resistant descendents thereof are provided. The MUT31 sunflower plants and the herbicide-resistant descendents thereof comprise increased resistance to at least one imidazolinone herbicide, when compared to wild-type sunflower plants. Methods for controlling weeds in the vicinity of these herbicide-resistant sunflower plants and methods for increasing the herbicide-resistance of a sunflower plant are also provided.

1 - 48 . (canceled) 
     
     
         49 . A sunflower plant, or part thereof, comprising both:
 (a) the MUT31 trait of sunflower line MUT31, a representative sample of seed of said line having been deposited under ATCC Patent Deposit No. PTA-7839,   wherein said MUT31 trait was produced by mutation breeding and comprises imidazolinone herbicide tolerance, even in the absence of an herbicide tolerant acetohydroxyacid synthase large subunit (AHASL) protein, and said herbicide tolerance is reducible or inhibitable by malathion; and   (b) at least one herbicide tolerant AHASL gene   wherein said sunflower plant exhibits greater AHAS-inhibiting herbicide tolerance than a sunflower plant containing, as the sole AHAS-inhibiting herbicide tolerance trait thereof, either said MUT31 trait or said herbicide tolerant AHASL gene.   
     
     
         50 . The sunflower plant of  claim 49 , wherein the AHAS-inhibiting herbicide tolerance comprises imidazolinone herbicide tolerance. 
     
     
         51 . The sunflower plant of  claim 49 , wherein said sunflower plant is selected from the group consisting of:
 (a) sunflower plants that are progeny of line MUT31;   (b) sunflower plants that are mutants, recombinants, or genetically engineered derivatives of line MUT31; and   (c) sunflower plants that are progeny of at least one of the sunflower plants of (a)-(b).   
     
     
         52 . The sunflower plant of  claim 49 , wherein said at least one herbicide tolerant AHASL gene encodes an AHASL protein comprising an alanine-to valine amino acid substitution at amino acid position 190 or equivalent position relative to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2. 
     
     
         53 . The sunflower plant of  claim 49 , wherein said imidazolinone herbicide comprises at least one of: 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-nicotinic acid, 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl) quinoline-3-carboxylic acid, 5-ethyl-2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-nicotinic acid, 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-5-(methoxymethyl)-nicotinic acid, 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-5-methylnicotinic acid, a mixture of methyl 6-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-m-toluate and methyl 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-p-toluate, or a combination of any of the foregoing. 
     
     
         54 . The sunflower plant of  claim 49 , wherein said imidazolinone herbicide is imazamox, imazapyr, imazethapyr, or mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         55 . A seed of the sunflower plant of  claim 49 , wherein said seed is an imidazolinone-tolerant descendent of a plant of line MUT31 and comprises the imidazolinone herbicide tolerance trait of line MUT31. 
     
     
         56 . The seed of  claim 55 , wherein said seed is treated with an imidazolinone herbicide. 
     
     
         57 . A cell of the plant of  claim 49 , wherein said cell comprises the imidazolinone herbicide tolerance trait of line MUT31 
     
     
         58 . A pollen grain of the plant of  claim 49 , wherein said pollen grain comprises the imidazolinone herbicide tolerance trait of line MUT31. 
     
     
         59 . A method for controlling weeds in a field, said method comprising:
 growing in the field a sunflower plant comprising both   (a) the MUT31 trait of sunflower line MUT31, a representative sample of seed of said line having been deposited under ATCC Patent Deposit No. PTA-7839,   wherein said MUT31 trait was produced by mutation breeding and comprises imidazolinone herbicide tolerance, even in the absence of an herbicide tolerant acetohydroxyacid synthase large subunit (AHASL) protein, and said herbicide tolerance is reducible or inhibitable by malathion; and   (b) at least one herbicide tolerant AHASL gene   wherein said sunflower plant exhibits greater AHAS-inhibiting herbicide tolerance than a sunflower plant containing, as the sole AHAS-inhibiting herbicide tolerance trait thereof, either said MUT31 trait or said herbicide tolerant AHASL gene; and   
       contacting said sunflower plant and weeds in the field with an effective amount of an imidazolinone herbicide to which the sunflower plant is tolerant and which would inhibit the growth of the wild-type variety of the sunflower plant, thereby controlling the weeds. 
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 59 , wherein the AHAS-inhibiting herbicide tolerance comprises imidazolinone herbicide tolerance. 
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 59 , wherein said sunflower plant is selected from the group consisting of:
 (a) sunflower plants that are progeny of line MUT31;   (b) sunflower plants that are mutants, recombinants, or genetically engineered derivatives of line MUT31; and   (c) sunflower plants that are progeny of at least one of the sunflower plants of (a)-(b).   
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 59 , wherein said imidazolinone herbicide comprises at least one of: 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-nicotinic acid, 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl) quinoline-3-carboxylic acid, 5-ethyl-2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-nicotinic acid, 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-5-(methoxymethyl)-nicotinic acid, 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-5-methylnicotinic acid, a mixture of methyl 6-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-m-toluate and methyl 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-p-toluate, or a combination of any of the foregoing. 
     
     
         63 . A method for combating undesired vegetation comprising contacting a sunflower seed of a sunflower plant of  claim 49  before sowing and/or after pregermination with an imidazolinone herbicide. 
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 63 , further comprising planting said sunflower seed in an environment favorable for growth of a sunflower plant. 
     
     
         65 . The methods of  claim 64 , wherein said environment comprises undesired vegetation. 
     
     
         66 . A sunflower plant, or part thereof, comprising the MUT31 trait of sunflower line MUT31, a representative sample of seed of said line having been deposited under ATCC Patent Deposit No. PTA-7839,
 wherein said MUT31 trait was produced by mutation breeding and comprises imidazolinone herbicide tolerance, even in the absence of an herbicide tolerant acetohydroxyacid synthase large subunit (AHASL) protein, and said tolerance is reducible or inhibitable by malathion; and   wherein said MUT31 trait being capable of enhancing AHAS-inhibiting herbicide tolerance of a sunflower plant comprising an herbicide tolerant AHASL gene, when the MUT31 trait is stacked with said herbicide tolerant AHASL gene in the plant.   
     
     
         67 . The sunflower plant of  claim 66 , wherein the AHAS-inhibiting herbicide tolerance comprises imidazolinone herbicide tolerance. 
     
     
         68 . A method for enhancing the AHAS-inhibiting herbicide tolerance of a sunflower plant, comprising: providing in said sunflower plant both the MUT31 trait and an herbicide tolerant AHASL gene,
 wherein said sunflower plant exhibits greater AHAS-inhibiting herbicide tolerance than a sunflower plant containing, as the sole AHAS-inhibiting herbicide tolerance trait thereof, either said MUT31 trait or said herbicide tolerant AHASL gene.   
     
     
         69 . The method of  claim 68 , wherein the AHAS-inhibiting herbicide tolerance comprises imidazolinone herbicide tolerance.