No Impact of Increased EPSPS Gene Copy Number on Growth and Fecundity of Glyphosate-Resistant Kochia (Bassia scoparia)

• Published in: Weed science Vol. 67; no. 1; pp. 22 - 28
• Main Authors: Osipitan, O. Adewale, Dille, J. Anita
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA The Weed Science Society of America 01-01-2019; Cambridge University Press; Weed Science Society of America
• Subjects: 5-Enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase; Bassia scoparia; Competition; Copy number; Enzymes; EPSPS gene; EPSPS gene amplification; Fecundity; Field study; Gene amplification; Glyphosate; Grain; Herbicides; Laboratories; Plant biomass; Plant growth; Population; Populations; Research Article; Seeds; Sorghum; vegetative growth; Weed control; United States > US; Kansas; Great Plains; 5-Enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase; Christopher Preston, University of Adelaide; EPSPS gene amplification; vegetative growth; fecundity
• ISSN: 0043-1745; 1550-2759; 1550-2759
• DOI: 10.1017/wsc.2018.82

The level of glyphosate resistance in kochia [Bassia scoparia (L.) A. J. Scott] was reported to be due to an increase in 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) gene copy number. A field study was conducted near Manhattan, KS, in 2014 and 2015 to evaluate the relationship between EPSPS gene copy number and growth and fecundity variables of B. scoparia individuals within suspected glyphosate-resistant (GR) populations from western Kansas. Initial assays of EPSPS gene copy and in vivo shikimate accumulation showed that B. scoparia populations from Finney (FN-R), Scott (SC-R), and Thomas (TH-R) counties were segregating for glyphosate resistance, with some individuals still being glyphosate susceptible (GS). A target-neighborhood competition approach was used to evaluate the competitive response of individual target plants with relatively low (classified as GS) and high (classified as GR) EPSPS gene copy number within the populations. There was no relationship observed between EPSPS gene copy number and vegetative or fecundity variables. There was no differential competitive response of target plant biomass to increasing neighbor density between individuals with low and high EPSPS gene copy number within each population. Lack of associated vegetative growth and fecundity cost to the increased EPSPS gene copy in the GR B. scoparia plants suggests that the plants are likely to persist in field populations, except when effective weed management strategies are adopted that would prevent their growth and seed production.