Inheritance of sethoxydim resistance in foxtail millet, Setaria italica (L.) Beauv.

Interspecific hybridization between foxtail millet cultivars (Setaria italica) and a green foxtail (S. viridis) resistant to the herbicide sethoxydim were undertaken to breed foxtail millet for improved herbicide resistance. Parents, reciprocal F1 hybrids, F2 selfed derived populations and BC1 backcross progeny were produced and analysed for mortality and fresh weight over a range of dosages. All resistant progeny were 700 times more resistant than susceptible cultivars and was symptom free under current field dosages. Segregations of resistant and susceptible progeny (3:1 in F2 and 1:1 in BC1) were not dependent upon dosage. Heterozygous individuals displayed the same magnitude of resistance as homozygous plants at twelve times the recommended field dosage. Results suggested that sethoxydim resistance in foxtail millet was controlled by a single, completely dominant, nuclear gene.