Search

Monochoria vaginalis is one of the most serious weeds of rice fields in Asia. The species is predominantly selfing. To reveal the potential for multiple mutational events, outcrossing and gene flow in the sulfonylurea-resistant (SU-R) M. vaginalis populations, we investigated (i) if each SU-R population was a single SU-R biotype or a mixture of several SU-R biotypes using restriction analysis or direct sequencing of acetolacatate synthase (ALS) genes and (ii) genetic diversity of SU-R and -susceptible (S) populations using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis. Nineteen or 20 individuals were sampled from four SU-R and five SU-S populations respectively. Amino acid substitutions conferring resistance in the SU-R populations were Pro197Ser in the ALS1 or ALS3, or Asp376Glu in the ALS1 and each SU-R population was composed of a single SU-R biotype. In cluster analysis each SU-R individual formed a cluster, whereas the individuals from a SU-S population belonged to different clusters. Some SU-R populations showed polymorphic AFLP loci. The results indicated that these SU-R biotypes emerged from a single mutational event and any gene flow of SU-R genes from adjacent populations did not occur. A low level of outcrossing and recombinations of SU-R genes occurred within some SU-R populations of M. vaginalis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Areas infested with Solanum carolinense, an introduced perennial weed, have increased quickly in Japan. The genetic structure of a S. carolinense population along the Takano River in Kyoto, Japan was investigated using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis to reveal how introductions and local spread have contributed to the development of this population. Along a terrace beside the river and an adjacent roadside, we defined a cluster of above-ground shoots in the population as a subpopulation and 60 subpopulations were identified. Seventeen of these were selected and 165 shoots were analyzed by AFLP analysis using three primer pairs. The AFLP profiles revealed 69 genotypes and the presence of several clones, i.e. genotypes that were present in more than one individual. In total, 19 clones, comprising 2–34 identical genotypes, could be identified in the population. Each of these clones, except one, was allocated within each of the subpopulations. Clustering of the subpopulations was supported by high bootstrap values in all cases. Therefore, introductions from distant regions have mainly contributed to the development of this population, and local spread by seed or vegetative reproduction has rarely been important. The most likely introduction route of S. carolinense to this population was via planting associated with construction works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]