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 CESA-inhibiting herbicides 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 mutated CESA polypeptide encoded by the polynucleotide, the expression of the 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:
• 99)
• L[C/G/M/S][F/V/L/I]F[L/F][Q/H/R]YR[T/V/C/I]
• [T/S/M/L][H/N]P[V/A][K/N/P/R/T/E][N/D]A[Y/F]
• [P/G/A/T]LWL[T/V/I/L]SVICE[I/V]WFA[F/L/I/V/M]SW
• wherein the amino acid at position 8, and/or 23 within said motif of the corresponding wildtype sequence is substituted by any other amino acid
• ii) Motif 2a:
• (SEQ ID NO:
• 102)
• YC[I/T/V/M/S/A]LPA[F/V/I]CL[I/L/F]T[D/N/G]
• [R/K/T/Q]FI[I/V/T]P[E/A/Q/K][I/L][S/N/T]N
• [Y/F/L/I/A][A/E][S/G][I/M/L/A/V][W/C/F/L/V/I]F
• [I/M/L/V][L/S][L/S/A]F[I/V/A/L/S/M/G][S/C]I
• wherein the amino acid at position 4, 17, and/or 24 within said motif of the corresponding wildtype sequence is substituted by any other amino acid
• iii) Motif 3a:
• (SEQ ID NO:
• 105)
• VIGG[T/V/I/A]S[A/S]H[L/F][F/L]A[V/L][F/V][Q/L]G
• [L/I/M][L/F]KV[L/F/I]AG[I/V][D/N/S/E/K]T[N/S]F[T/I]
• V[T/A]SK
• wherein the amino acid at position 1, 3, 18, and/or 28 within said motif of the corresponding wildtype sequence is substituted by any other amino acid
• iv) Motif 4a:
• (SEQ ID NO:
• 108)
• A[V/I][N/S][S/N]G[Y/F][Q/D/E]SWGPL[F/M/L]G[K/R]L
• [F/L]F[A/S][L/I/F]WV[I/V][A/V/I/L]HLYPFLKG
• [L/M/V][L/M/V(I]G
• wherein the amino acid at position 9, 12, 13, 15, 19, and/or 24 within said motif of the corresponding wildtype sequence is substituted by any other amino acid
• v) Motif 5a:
• (SEQ ID NO:
• 111)
• [G/A][I/M/V][V/I][A/S/V]G[V/I/F]S[Y/T/D/N]A[V/I]
• [N/S][S/N]G[Y/F]
• wherein the amino acid at position 8 within said motif of the corresponding wildtype sequence is substituted by any other amino acid
• vi) Motif 6a:
• (SEQ ID NO:
• 114)
• [V/I][I/V/L]VW[S/A][V/I/A]L[L/I][A/S]S[I/F][F/L]
• [S/T][L/V][L/M]WV[R/K][I/V][N/D]PF
• wherein the amino acid at position 9, 11, 12, and/or 14 within said motif of the corresponding wildtype sequence is substituted by any other amino acid
• vii) Motif 7a:
• (SEQ ID NO:
• 117)
• EI[L/F][L/F/M]S[R/K/N]HCP[I/L]WYGY[H/T/N/S/G]
• [G/C][R/K/G]L
• wherein the amino acid at position 5, 13, 15, and/or 16 within said motif of the corresponding wildtype sequence is substituted by any other amino acid
• viii) Motif 8a:
• (SEQ ID NO:
• 120)
• [F/L]KWT[A/S/T]LLI[P/T]P[T/M/L]T[V/I/L]L
• wherein the amino acid at position 10 within said motif of the corresponding wildtype sequence is substituted by any other amino acid.