Mechanism of resistance to fenoxaprop in Japanese foxtail (Alopecurus japonicus) from China

Japanese foxtail is one of the most common and troublesome weeds infesting cereal and oilseed rape fields in China. Repeated use during the last three decades of the ACCase-inhibiting herbicide fenoxaprop-P-ethyl to control this weed has resulted in the occurrence of resistance. Dose–response tests established that a population (AHFD-1) from eastern China had evolved high-level resistance to fenoxaprop-P-ethyl. Based on the resistance index, this resistant population of A. japonicus is 60.31-fold resistant to fenoxaprop-P-ethyl. Subsequently, only a tryptophan to cysteine substitution was identified to confer resistance to fenoxaprop-P-ethyl in this resistant population. ACCase activity tests further confirmed this substitution was linked to resistance. This is the first report of the occurrence of Trp-2027-Cys substitution of ACCase in A. japonicus. From whole-plant pot dose–response tests, we confirmed that this population conferred resistance to other APP herbicides, including clodinafop-propargyl, fluazifop-P-butyl, quizalofop-P-ethyl, haloxyfop-R-methyl, cyhalofop-butyl, metamifop, DEN herbicide pinoxaden, but not to CHD herbicides clethodim, sethoxydim. There was also no resistance observed to ALS-inhibiting herbicides sulfosulfuron, mesosulfuron-methyl, flucarbazone-sodium, pyroxsulam, Triazine herbicide prometryne and glyphosate. However, this resistant population was likely to confer slightly (or no) resistant to Urea herbicides chlortoluron and isoproturon.