Lentil plants having increased resistance to imidazolinone herbicides

Abstract

The present invention is directed to lentil plants having increased resistance to an imidaizolinone herbicide. One such plant described herein is the rh44 lentil variety. The present invention also includes seeds produced by these lentil plants and methods of controlling weeds in the vicinity of these lentil plants.

Description

FIG. 10 (SEQ ID NO:1) provides the amino acid sequence of the mature herbicide-tolerant AHAS protein in RH44 lentil plant from amino acid residue 87 to amino acid 661. These amino acids correspond to amino acid residues 96-670 of Arabidopsis thaliana AHAS. The acetohydroxyacid synthase large subunit (AHASL) gene of the RH44 lentil line was sequenced and found to contain a single mutation that gives rise to the A205V (using the Arabidopsis thaliana AHASL1 amino acid position nomenclature amino acid substitution in the AHASL protein, when compared to wild-type AHASL protein. Thus, a plant of the RH44 lentil line comprises a mutant AHASL gene that encodes an AHAsL protein comprising a valine at the position that corresponds to amino acid 205 in the Arabidopsis thaliana AHASL1. In a wild- type AHASL protein, amino acid 205 is know to be alanine.The lentil plant of the present invention, the seeds of which have been deposited under the Patent Deposit Designation Number PTA-3270, comprise the amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:1) of the mature herbicide-tolerant AHAS protein in RH44 lentil plant from amino acid residue 87 to amino acid 661. These amino acids correspond to amino acid residues 96-670 of Arabidopsis thaliana AHAS.

Example 6

Nutritional Analysis of Imidazolinone-Tolerant Lentil

A proximate analysis was conducted to compare the RH44 lentil variety with existing registered wild type lentil varieties in order to determine if any significant differences in nutritional value existed (FIG. 9). The seed for analysis was obtained from trials conducted in the year 2000 where RH44 lentil and several other lentil varieties were grown under the same conditions. The results of this analysis demonstrate the similarity in many nutritional characteristics among varieties of lentil, several of which have very different phenotypic characteristics. This analysis also demonstrates that the mutation leading to imidazolinone tolerance in RH44 lentil produces no subsequent change in the moisture, fat, fiber or protein content of lentil seed. The RH44 lentil is changed in its AHAS activity, but is unchanged in nutritional/food safety attributes when compared to commercial wild type lentil varieties in Canada.

Claims

1. A lentil plant having increased resistance to an imidazolinone herbicide as compared to a wild type variety of the plant, wherein the lentil plant has an is of lentil line rh44, a representative sample of seed of the line having been deposited under ATCC Patent Deposit Designation Number PTA-3270.

2. A method for controlling weeds within the vicinity of the lentil plant of claim 1, comprising applying an imidazolinone herbicide to the weeds and to the lentil plant.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the imidazolinone herbicide is selected from the group consisting of imazethapyr, imazapic, imazamox, imazaquin, imazethabenz and imazapyr.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the imidazolinone herbicide is imazethapyr.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the imidazolinone herbicide is imazamox.

6. A seed of lentil line rh44, representative seed of said line having been deposited under ATCC Patent Deposit Designation Number PTA-3270.

7. A lentil plant, or a part thereof, produced by growing the seed of claim 6.

8. A method for producing a hybrid lentil seed wherein the method comprises crossing the plant of claim 7 with a different lentil plant and harvesting the resulting hybrid lentil seed.

9. A hybrid lentil seed produced by the method of claim 8.

10. A lentil plant, or a part thereof, produced by growing the seed of claim 9.

11. A method for controlling weeds within the vicinity of a lentil plant, the method comprising applying an imidazolinone herbicide to the weeds and to the lentil plant, wherein the lentil plant is produced by growing a seed of lentil line rh44, representative seed of said line having been deposited under ATCC Patent Deposit Designation Number PTA-3270.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the imidazolinone herbicide is selected from the group consisting of imazethapyr, imazapic, imazamox, imazaquin, imazethabenz and imazapyr.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the imidazolinone herbicide is imazethapyr.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the imidazolinone herbicide is imazamox.

15. A lentil plant having increased resistance to an imidazolinone herbicide as compared to a wild type variety of the plant, wherein the lentil plant is obtained by a process comprising crossing lentil line rh44, a representative sample of seed of the line having been deposited under ATCC Patent Deposit Designation Number PTA-3270, with another Lens culinaris variety, wherein the plant comprises an ahas polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:1.

16. The lentil plant of claim 15, wherein the lentil plant is a hybrid of lentil line rh44.

17. The lentil plant of claim 15, wherein said process further comprises a step of self pollination.

18. The lentil plant of claim 15, wherein the lentil plant is true breeding for the herbicide resistance characteristics of lentil line rh44.