Herbicide-resistant mutants from tobacco cell cultures.

Several mutants resistant to the herbicides chlorsulfuron and sulfometuron methyl were isolated form cultured cells of Nicotiana tabacum. Resistance was inherited as a single dominant or semidominant mutation in all cases. Linkage analysis of six mutants identified two unlinked genetic loci. Studies of plants homozygous for one mutation showed the mutant plants to be completely resistant to treatment with a concentration of chlorsulfuron 100 times higher than that which produces symptoms of phytotoxicity on normal plants.