XVI International Botanical Congess

Since mitosis disrupting herbicides (phosphorotioamidates, dinitro-anilines and phenylcarbamates) were extensively used for over a quarter of a century, we realised the attempt to obtain plant mutants resistant to such compounds. Mutant lines of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia resistant to amiprophosmethyl, APM, and trifluralin, TFL, and N. sylvestris resistant to isopropyl-N-phenyl-carbamate (IPC) were obtained by in vitro selection. The mutants were 10-12 times more resistant to respective herbicides than controls. The resistance traits were stable expressed and connected with mutations in one of ?-tubulin genes (in the cases of APM and TFL). We used asymmetric hybridisation for transfer of these traits to other Solanaceae species. Different APM- and TFL-resistant lines of N. plumbaginifolia+N. sylvestris and N. plumbaginifolia+Atropa belladonna were obtained. The biochemical analysis of tubulins and immunoflurescent microscopy of microtubules allow us to assume that hybrids inherited altered ?-tubulins. So, somatic hybridisation can be used for transfer of this herbicide-resistance into different crops as well as for identification and cloning altered genes for genetic transformation.