Genetic Variability of Acetolactate Synthase (ALS) Sequence in Centaurea cyanus Plants Resistant and Susceptible to Tribenuron-Methyl

Centaurea cyanus, belonging to the Asteraceae family, is an arable weed species encountered mainly in fields with cereals, sugar beet, and maize. The high genetic variability of C. cyanus has been recently reported; however, little is known about its sequence variability in the context of its herbicide resistance. C. cyanus resistance was found mainly against acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors, but no ALS sequence information concerning the herbicide resistance mechanism has been published yet. The aim of this study was to determine the ALS sequences for biotypes susceptible and resistant to tribenuron-methyl in order to identify mutations that may be associated with the resistance emergence. DNA isolation from susceptible and resistant plants was followed by PCR amplification and ALS sequencing. As a result, different lengths of DNA products were obtained. Moreover, both nucleotide and amino acid sequence analysis revealed high sequence variability within one plant as well as between plants from the same biotype. In a few resistant plants, four changes in the amino acid sequence were identified in comparison to those in the susceptible ones. However, these preliminary studies require further investigation toward confirming the significance of these mutations in herbicide resistance development. This study provides preliminary information contributing to the research on the C. cyanus target-site resistance mechanism.

Automated summary

Centaurea cyanus, a weed species commonly found in fields with cereals, sugar beet, and maize, shows resistance mainly against acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors. Genetic variability in ALS sequence has been observed among resistant plants, with four amino acid sequence changes identified in some resistant plants compared to susceptible ones. Further research is needed to confirm the significance of these mutations in herbicide resistance development.