澳大利亚新南威尔士2007年9月7日消息，由于除草剂的规律性使用，世界上许多国家的草种都对除草剂产生了抗药性。新南威尔士第一产业厅的科学家和日本的一个研究小组共同研究出了一种等位基因检测技术（eco-tilling），可以提供一种快速、低廉又可靠的方法检测出杂草产生抗药性的早期征兆。科学家指出，这种技术可以帮助农民更经济更有效地将除草剂用于各种作物之间。（国际情报研究室译）
【原文】
CHEAP AND EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUE TO DETECT HERBICIDE-RESISTANCE
When herbicides are regularly applied to a field, some weeds develop herbicide-resistance, one of the major threats to conventional agricultural practices. More than 305 types of weed in more than 50 countries have been reported to be resistant to at least one herbicide.
Scientists at the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (DPI), together with a team of researchers from Japan, investigated a technique called eco-tilling and found it offers a quick, cheap and reliable means of detecting early signs of herbicide resistance in weeds. The group examined wild oats and rye grass in the Australian cropping system, and weeds in rice fields in Japan. Unlike the traditional molecular approach, eco-tilling uses reverse genetics. Genes are not fully sequenced; instead, mutations in genes are identified purely on the basis of their position in the genome.
Dr. Mui-Keng Tan said that new mutations can be easily detected, and known ones can be screened for a fraction of the cost of alternative genetic methods. The eco-tilling technique test for resistance could help farmers to manage herbicide use in crop rotations more economically and effectively.
