Herbicide resistant tobacco

Claim 2

A process for producing mutant Nicotiana tabacum plants having stable, heritable resistance to herbicidally-effective N-(heterocyclicaminocarbonyl) arylsulfonamide compounds, comprising: (a) propagating cell cultures of Nicotiana tabacum under plant cell culture conditions; (b) exposing the cell cultures to a selective medium comprising a herbicidally-effective N-(heterocyclicacaminocarbonyl) arylsulfonamide compound present at a concentration inhibitory or lethal to normal cells; (c) isolating mutant cell lines capable of sustained growth in the selective medium; and (d) regenerating from the mutant cell lines reproductively competent plants that express resistance to said N-(heterocyclicacaminocarbonyl) arylsulfonamide compounds.

Claim 3

A process according to claim 1, wherein the herbicidally-effective N-(heterocyclicaminocarbonyl)arylsulfonamide compound is of the formula: ##STR3## wherein R 1 is Cl, CF 3 , NO 2 , C 1 -C 3 alkyl, CO 2 CH 3 , CO 2 C 2 H 5 , SCF 2 H , SO 2 R 3 , OSO 2 R 3 , C 1 -C 3 alkoxy, OCH 2 CH═CH 2 or SO 2 N(CH 3 ) 2 ; R 2 is CO 2 CH 3 , CO 2 C 2 H 5 , SO 2 N(CH 3 ) 2 , SO 2 R 3 or NO 2 ; R 3 is C 1 -C 3 alkyl; X is Cl, CH 3 or OCH 3 ; Y is CH 3 or OCH 3 ; and Z is CH or N; provided that, when X is Cl, Z is CH; and when R 1 is SCF 2 H, X is CH 3 or OCH 3 .

Claim 4

A process according to claim 2, wherein R 1 is Cl, CO 2 CH 3 , CO 2 C 2 H 5 or OSO 2 R 3 ; and R 2 is CO 2 CH 3 or CO 2 C 2 H 5 .

Claim 5

A process according to claim 3 wherein R 1 is Cl; X is OCH 3 ; Y is CH 3 ; and Z is N.

Claim 6

A process according to claim 3 wherein R 1 is CO 2 CH 3 ; X and Y are each CH 3 ; and Z is CH.

Claim 7

A first generation hybrid tobacco plant having resistance to a herbicidally-effective N-(heterocyclicaminocarbonyl)arylsulfonamide compound, the hybrid tobacco plant having been grown from seed from cross-pollination of parent plants, wherein at least one parent plant has gametes with nuclei which carry at least one dominant or semidominant gene conferring resistance to a herbicidally-effective sulfonamide compound.

Claim 8

A first generation hybrid tobacco plant having resistance to a herbicidally-effective N-(heterocyclicaminocarbonyl)arylsulfonamide compound, the hybrid tobacco plant having been grown from seed from cross-pollination of parent plants, wherein at least one parent plant has gametes with nuclei which carry at least one dominant or semidominant gene conferring resistance to a herbicidally-effective sulfonamide compound.

Claim 9

A first generation hybrid tobacco plant according to claim 6, the hybrid tobacco plant having been grown from seed from cross-pollination of parent plants, wherein at least one parent has gametes with nuclei which carry at least one dominant or semidominant gene conferring resistance to a herbicidally-effective N-(heterocyclicaminocarbonyl)arylsulfonamide of the formula: ##STR4## wherein R 1 is Cl, CF 3 , NO 2 , C 1 -C 3 alkyl, CO 2 CH 3 , CO 2 C 2 H 5 , SCF 2 H, SO 2 R 3 , OSO 2 R 3 , C 1 -C 3 alkoxy, OCH 2 CH═CH 2 or SO 2 N(CH 3 ) 2 ; R 2 is CO 2 CH 3 , CO 2 C 2 H 5 , SO 2 N(CH 3 ) 2 , SO 2 R 3 or NO 2 ; R 3 is C 1 -C 3 alkyl; X is Cl, CH 3 or OCH 3 ; Y is CH 3 or OCH 3 ; and Z is CH or N; provided that, when X is Cl, Z is CH; and when R 1 is SCF 2 H, X is CH 3 or OCH 3 .

Claim 10

A first generation hybrid tobacco plant according to claim 7, the hybrid tobacco plant having been grown from seed from cross-pollination of parent plants, wherein at least one parent plant has gametes with nuclei which carry at least one dominant or semidominant gene conferring resistance to a herbicidally-effective N-(heterocyclicaminocarbonyl)arylsulfonamide compound of the formula: ##STR5## wherein R 1 is Cl, CO 2 CH 3 , CO 2 C 2 H 5 or OSO 2 R 3 ; and R 2 is CO 2 CH 3 or CO 2 C 2 H 5 .

Claim 13

A method according to claim 9, wherein the herbicidal compound is a herbicidally-effective N-(heterocyclicaminocarbonyl)arylsulfonamide compound.

Claim 16

A method according to claim 11, wherein the herbicidal compound applied is a herbicidally-effective N-(heterocyclicaminocarbonyl)arysulfonamide compound.