Identification of a Mutant Resistant to Acetolactate Synthase Inhibitor Herbicides Through Mutagenesis in Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz

Herbicide tolerance in crops is an effective way to manage weeds and maintain stable yield. Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz is commercially grown for the biofuel and bio-industrial markets. Having tolerance to widely used herbicide products can improve a variety’s yield potential due to minimizing yield risks from weed competition. In this study, we tested the time of treatments with EMS and created an EMS-induced population from Camelina line ‘Ames1043’. A mutant, namely Nfld001, was found in the field after spraying sulfonylurea (SU) herbicide Harmony™. The M2 mutant and the M3 population were tested by KASP assay and further confirmed on Chr09 by sequencing the ALS gene region covering the mutation. The mutation happened at the 197 amino acid with a transition from CCT to CTT causing the change of proline to leucine in the ALS protein. The mutant will be used for breeding camelina lines with better weed management and stable yield.