Increase in IAA levels by EPSPS copy number variation relates to fitness advantage in Eleusine indica

Abstract

Long-term use of chemical weed control has led to some weedy species evolving herbicide resistance traits with fitness advantage. Our previous studies revealed glyphosate resistance in an Eleusine indica population due to copy number variation of 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) comes with fitness advantage under non-competitive conditions. Here, transcriptomics and targeted metabolomics were used to investigate physiological basis associated with the fitness advantage.