Development of herbicide resistance genes and their application in rice

Abstract Rice is one of the most important food crops in the world. Weeds seriously affect the rice yield and grain quality. In recent years, there are tremendous progresses in the research and application of herbicide-resistant genes in rice worldwide. This article reviews the working mechanisms of six herbicides (glyphosate, glufosinate, acetolactate synthase inhibitor herbicides, acetyl-CoA carboxylase inhibitor herbicides, hydroxyhenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibitor herbicides and dinitroaniline herbicides), the resistance mutations of the corresponding herbicide-target genes, and the herbicide detoxification mechanisms by non-target genes. Examples are provided on herbicide-resistant rice materials obtained by transformation of exogenous resistance genes, by artificial mutagenesis and mutant screening, and by modifying the target genes through gene editing. This paper also introduces the current application of herbicide-resistant rice, points out problems that may be caused by utilization of herbicide resistant rice and solutions to the problems, and discusses the future prospects for the development of herbicide-resistant rice.