Herbicide-resistant rice plants, polynucleotides encoding herbicide-resistant acetohydroxyacid synthase large subunit proteins, and methods of use

Abstract

Disclosed are methods for treating rice, including: providing a rice crop plant and at least one AHAS-inhibiting herbicide; applying an effective amount of the AHAS-inhibiting herbicide to the rice crop plant, post-emergence, to form a treated rice crop plant; and growing the treated rice crop plant. The applied AHAS-inhibiting herbicide may include 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidiazolin-2-yl)-nicotinic acid, 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-3-quinolinecarboxylic 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, or 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-5-methylnicotinic acid, a derivative thereof, or a mixture thereof.

1 - 83 . (canceled) 
     
     
         84 . A method for treating rice, comprising:
 providing a rice crop plant and at least one AHAS-inhibiting herbicide;   applying an effective amount of a composition comprising 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidiazolin-2-yl)-nicotinic acid, 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-3-quinolinecarboxylic 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, or 2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)-5-methylnicotinic acid, or a derivative thereof, or a mixture thereof to the rice crop plant, post-emergence; thereby creating a treated rice plant; and   growing the resulting treated rice plant.   
     
     
         85 . The method of  claim 84 , further comprising harvesting seed from the treated rice plant. 
     
     
         86 . The method of  claim 84 , wherein the composition comprises an imazethapyr, imazapic, imazamox, imazaquin, imazamethabenz, or imazapyr herbicide, or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         87 . The method of  claim 84 , wherein the rice crop plant comprises a phenotype of tolerance to a rate of 75 cc ai/ha imazapyr and 24.85 g ai/ha imazapic. 
     
     
         88 . The method of  claim 84 , wherein the rice crop plant comprises a phenotype of tolerance to three applications of a rate of 75 cc ai/ha imazapyr and 24.85 g ai/ha imazapic. 
     
     
         89 . The method of  claim 84 , wherein the phenotype of tolerance is observable as the plant's (a) exhibiting no phytotoxic symptoms or (b) being not killed or not inhibited in its growth, or both (a) and (b), from said application 
     
     
         90 . The method of  claim 84 , wherein said composition is applied at a rate of said herbicide that is at least sufficient to kill or inhibit the growth of a similar, wild-type rice crop plant. 
     
     
         91 . The method of  claim 84 , wherein said composition is applied at a rate of said herbicide that is equivalent to at least 75 cc ai/ha imazapyr, or to at least 24.85 g ai/ha imazapic, or to both. 
     
     
         92 . The method of  claim 91 , wherein said composition is applied to the rice crop plant more than once. 
     
     
         93 . The method of  claim 84 , wherein said composition comprises imazapyr or imazapic or both, and is applied at a rate of at least 75 cc ai/ha imazapyr, or at least 24.85 g ai/ha imazapic, or both. 
     
     
         94 . The method of  claim 93 , wherein said composition is applied to the rice crop plant more than once. 
     
     
         95 . The method of  claim 84 , wherein the rice crop plant comprises an endogenous AHASL polypeptide having an alanine-to-valine substitution at the position corresponding to position 179 of SEQ ID NO:2. 
     
     
         96 . The method of  claim 84 , wherein the rice crop plant comprises an endogenous AHASL polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2. 
     
     
         97 . The method of  claim 84 , wherein the effective amount is effective for killing a weed of one or more of the genera  Echinochloa, Setaria, Panicum, Digitaria, Phleum, Poa, Festuca, Eleusine, Brachiaria, Lolium, Bromus, Avena, Cyperus, Sorghum, Agropyron, Cynodon, Monochoria, Fimbristyslis, Sagittaria, Eleocharis, Scirpus, Paspalum, Ischaemum, Sphenoclea, Dactyloctenium, Agrostis, Alopecurus , and  Apera.    
     
     
         98 . The method of  claim 97 , wherein the effective amount is effective for killing a weed of one or more of the genera  Digitaria, Eleusine, Ischaemum, Paspalum , and  Eleocharis.    
     
     
         99 . The method of  claim 84 , wherein the effective amount is effective for killing red rice. 
     
     
         100 . A domestic rice crop plant treated by the method of  claim 84 . 
     
     
         101 . A seed harvested by the method of  claim 85 .