Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 June 2017
‘Cargill 921′, ‘Great Lakes 422′, ‘Northrup King 9410′, ‘Pioneer 3901′, ‘Pioneer 3737′, and ‘Stauffer 5650’ corn hybrids were tested in the greenhouse for imazaquin tolerance. Imazaquin rates that reduced shoot growth 50%, when compared to the untreated hybrid check, ranged from 17 to 50 g/ha. When averaged together, the three most tolerant hybrids (Cargill 921, Pioneer 3901, and Great Lakes 422) were approximately one-half as sensitive to imazaquin as the three least tolerant hybrids (Northrup King 9410, Pioneer 3737, and Stauffer 5650). Studies were conducted to determine if the observed differential tolerance was caused by differences in acetolactate synthase (ALS, EC 4.1.3.18) levels and sensitivity of ALS to imazaquin. Differential imazaquin uptake, translocation, and/or metabolism were also studied as a basis for the tolerance range as was seed size and seedling growth. There were differences among hybrids in the physiological and growth parameters studied; however, these differences did not correlate with imazaquin tolerance. None of the factors studied could alone account for the differences in imazaquin tolerance.