Plants having increased tolerance to herbicides

A method for controlling weeds at a locus for growth of a plant, the method comprising:

• (a) applying an herbicide composition comprising a CESA-inhibiting herbicide to the locus;
• and (b) planting a seed at the locus, wherein the seed is capable of producing a plant that comprises in at least some of its cells a polynucleotide operably linked to a promoter operable in plant cells, the promoter capable of expressing a wildtype or mutated CESA polypeptide encoded by the polynucleotide, the expression of the wildtype or mutated CESA polypeptide conferring to the plant tolerance to CESA-inhibiting herbicides, wherein the mutated CESA polypeptide comprises one or more of the following motifs:
• i) Motif 1a:
• (SEQ ID NO:
• 78)
• [V/I] [A/V]G [V/I/F] [S/T] [Y/D/N/A]A [V/I/L]
• [N/S/G] [S/N]G [Y/F/E] [Q/D/G/E/H] [S/A]WG [P/A]L
• [F/M/L]G [K/R] [L/V] [F/L]F,
• wherein the amino acid at position 5, 16, 17, and/or 20 within said motif is substituted by any other amino acid;
• ii) Motif 2a:
• (SEQ ID NO:
• 81)
• [V/L/I]W [S/A] [V/A/I]LL [A/S]S [I/F/V] [F/L][S/T]
• [L/V] [L/M/V/I] WV [R/K] [I/V] [N/D]PF
• wherein the amino acid at position 8 and/or 11 within said motif is substituted by any other amino acid,
• wherein the CESA-inhibiting herbicide comprises a compound having the Formula (I):
• wherein
• A is heteroaryl, which is substituted by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 substituents RA selected from the group consisting of halogen, OH, CN, amino, NO2, C1-C6-alkyl, C2-C6-alkenyl, C2-C6-alkynyl, C1-C6-alkoxy, C2-C6-alkenyloxy, C2-C6-alkynyloxy, (C1-C6-alkoxy)-C1-C6-alkyl, (C1-C6-alkoxy)-C1-C6-alkoxy, (C1-C6-alkoxy)-C2-C6-alkenyl, (C1-C6-alkoxy)-C2-C6-alkynyl, C1-C6-alkylthio, (C1-C6-alkyl)sulfinyl, (C1-C6-alkyl)sulfonyl, (C1-C6-alkyl)amino, di(C1-C6-alkyl)amino, (C1-C6-alkyl)-carbonyl, (C1-C6-alkoxy)-carbonyl, (C1-C6-alkyl)-carbonyloxy, C3-C6-cycloalkyl, C3-C6-cycloalkoxy, (C3-C6-cycloalkyl)-C1-C4-alkyl, and (C3-C6-cycloalkyl)-C1-C4-alkoxy, where the aliphatic and cycloaliphatic parts of the 22 aforementioned radicals are unsubstituted, partly or completely halogenated and where the cycloaliphatic parts of the last 4 mentioned radicals may carry 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 methyl groups;
• R1 is selected from the group consisting of H, OH, S(O)2NH2, CN, C1-C6-alkyl, C2-C6-alkenyl, C2-C6-alkynyl, (C3-C6-cycloalkyl)-C1-C4-alkyl, C1-C6-alkoxy, (C1-C6-alkoxy)-C1-C6-alkyl, (C1-C6-alkyl)-carbonyl, (C1-C6-alkoxy)carbonyl, (C1-C6-alkyl)sulfonyl, (C1-C6-alkylamino)carbonyl, di(C1-C6-alkyl)aminocarbonyl, (C1-C6-alkylamino)sulfonyl, di(C1-C6-alkyl)aminosulfonyl and (C1-C6-alkoxy)sulfonyl, where the aliphatic and cycloaliphatic parts of the 14 aforementioned radicals are unsubstituted, partly or completely halogenated, or
• phenyl, phenyl-C1-C6-alkyl, phenylsulfonyl, phenylaminosulfonyl, phenylcarbonyl and phenoxycarbonyl,
• wherein phenyl in the last 6 mentioned radicals are unsubstituted or substituted by 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 identical or different substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, CN, NO2, C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-haloalkyl, C1-C6-alkoxy and C1-C6-haloalkoxy;
• R2 is H, halogen, OH, CN, C1-C6-alkyl, C2-C6-alkenyl, C3-C6-alkynyl, (C1-C6-alkoxy)-C1-C6-alkyl, C3-C6-cycloalkyl, C3-C6-cycloalkenyl, (C3-C6-cycloalkyl)-C1-C4-alkyl, C1-C6-alkoxy, C2-C6-alkenyloxy, C2-C6-alkynyloxy, C3-C6-cycloalkoxy or (C3-C6-cycloalkyl)-C1-C4-alkoxy, where the aliphatic and cycloaliphatic parts of the 9 aforementioned radicals are unsubstituted, partly or completely halogenated, or
• phenyl or phenyl-C1-C6-alkyl,
• wherein phenyl in the last 2 mentioned radicals are unsubstituted or substituted by 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 identical or different substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, CN, NO2, C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-haloalkyl, C1-C6-alkoxy and C1-C6-haloalkoxy;
• R3 is selected from the group consisting of H, halogen, CN, C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-haloalkyl, C1-C6-alkoxy and C1-C6-haloalkoxy;
• R4 is selected from the group consisting of H, halogen, CN, C1-C6-alkyl, C2-C6-alkenyl, C3-C6-alkynyl, C3-C6-cycloalkyl, (C3-C6-cycloalkyl)-C1-C4-alkyl, C3-C6-cycloalkenyl and C1-C6-alkoxy-C1-C6-alkyl, where the aliphatic and cycloaliphatic parts of the 7 aforementioned radicals are unsubstituted, partly or completely halogenated;
• or
• R3 and R4 together with the carbon atom to which they are attached form a moiety selected from the group consisting of carbonyl, C2-C6-alkenyl, C3-C6-cycloalkyl, C3-C6-cycloalkenyl and three- to six-membered heterocyclyl,
• wherein the C3-C6-cycloalkyl, C3-C6-cycloalkenyl, or three- to six-membered heterocyclyl is unsubstituted or substituted by one to three substituents selected from halogen, CN, C1-C6-alkyl and C1-C6-alkoxy;
• and
• R5 is selected from the group consisting of H, OH, S(O)2NH2, CN, C1-C6-alkyl, C2-C6-alkenyl, C2-C6-alkynyl, (C3-C6-cycloalkyl)-C1-C4-alkyl, C1-C6-alkoxy, (C1-C6-alkoxy)-C1-C6-alkyl, (C1-C6-alkyl)-carbonyl, (C1-C6-alkoxy)carbonyl, (C1-C6-alkyl)sulfonyl, (C1-C6-alkylamino)carbonyl, di(C1-C6-alkyl)aminocarbonyl, (C1-C6-alkylamino)sulfonyl, di(C1-C6-alkyl)aminosulfonyl and (C1-C6-alkoxy)sulfonyl, where the aliphatic and cycloaliphatic parts of the 14 aforementioned radicals are unsubstituted, partly or completely halogenated, or
• phenyl, phenyl-C1-C6-alkyl, phenylsulfonyl, phenylaminosulfonyl, phenylcarbonyl and phenoxycarbonyl,
• wherein phenyl in the last 6 mentioned radicals are unsubstituted or substituted by 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 identical or different substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, CN, NO2, C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-haloalkyl, C1-C6-alkoxy and C1-C6-haloalkoxy.