The genetic basis of antimicrotubule drug resistance was investigated using pre-emergence dinitroaniline herbicides on three biotypes of goosegrass. Using physical emasculation, reciprocal crosses were made between inbred lines of the wild type/susceptible (S), the intermediately resistant (I) and the highly resistant (R) biotypes. F1 hybrids were identified by isoenzyme analysis. A non-destructive root-growth bioassay was developed to determine the dinitroaniline response phenotype (DRP) of mature F1 hybrids. F2 and F3 populations were generated by selfing. A seedling radicle-growth bioassay was used to determine the DRP of F2 and F3 progenies. Analysis of the DRP in F1 hybrids indicated that "resistance" was recessive to "susceptibility" (i.e., S>I>R). This was true irrespective of which biotype/phenotype served as the pollen donor, thus ruling out any effect due to inheritance of a cytoplasmic factor. Segregation analysis of the F2 and F3 progenies confirmed the dominance of "susceptibility". Furthermore, the segregation of "susceptibility" to "resistance" phenotypes in the F2 and F3 progenies best fit a 3:1 inheritance pattern (i.e., 3S:1R, 3S:1I, and 3I:1R). These data are consistent with the DRP being inherited as a single gene trait. The proposed designation for the nuclear locus is Drp. There were at least three alleles at this locus; such that Drps was dominant to Drpi which was dominant to Drpr. The research was supported by USDA-NRI grant 95-37315-2152.

Key words: dinitroaniline, goosegrass, herbicide resistance, oryzalin