Detection of feral transgenic oilseed rape with multiple-herbicide resistance in Japan.

Repeated monitoring for escaped transgenic crop plants is sometimes necessary, especially in cases when the crop has not been approved for release into the environment. Transgenic oilseed rape (Brassica napus) was detected along roadsides in central Japan in a previous study. The goal of the current study was to monitor the distribution of transgenic oilseed rape and occurrence of hybridization of transgenic B. napus with feral populations of its closely related species (B. rapa and B. juncea) in the west of Japan in 2005. The progenies of 50 B. napus, 82 B. rapa and 283 B. juncea maternal plants from 95 sampling sites in seven port areas were screened for herbicide-resistance. Transgenic herbicide-resistant seeds were detected from 12 B. napus maternal plants growing at seven sampling sites in two port areas. A portion of the progeny from two transgenic B. napus plants had both glyphosate-resistance and glufosinate-resistance transgenes. Therefore, two types of transgenic B. napus plants are likely to have outcrossed with each other, since the double-herbicide-resistant transgenic strain of oilseed rape has not been developed intentionally for commercial purposes. As found in the previous study, no transgenic seeds were detected from B. rapa or B. juncea, and more extensive sampling is needed to determine whether introgression into these wild species has occurred.

[1]  Ganesh M. Kishore,et al.  Development, identification, and characterization of a glyphosate-tolerant soybean line , 1995 .

[2]  Nobuyoshi Nakajima,et al.  Monitoring the escape of transgenic oilseed rape around Japanese ports and roadsides. , 2005, Environmental biosafety research.

[3]  D. Stalker,et al.  Herbicide resistance in transgenic plants expressing a bacterial detoxification gene. , 1988, Science.

[4]  Rikke Bagger Jørgensen,et al.  SPONTANEOUS HYBRIDIZATION BETWEEN OILSEED RAPE (BRASSICA NAPUS) AND WEEDY RELATIVES , 1996 .

[5]  Marie-Josée Simard,et al.  Fitness of double vs. single herbicide–resistant canola , 2005, Weed Science.

[6]  Lyle F. Friesen,et al.  EVIDENCE OF CONTAMINATION OF PEDIGREED CANOLA (BRASSICA NAPUS) SEEDLOTS IN WESTERN CANADA WITH GENETICALLY ENGINEERED HERBICIDE RESISTANCE TRAITS , 2003 .

[7]  C. Mariani,et al.  Induction of male sterility in plants by a chimaeric ribonuclease gene , 1990, Nature.

[8]  R. K. Downey,et al.  Hybridizations among Brassica napus, B. rapa and B. juncea and their two weedy relatives B. nigra and Sinapis arvensis under open pollination conditions in the field , 1996 .

[9]  C. Thompson,et al.  Characterization of the herbicide‐resistance gene bar from Streptomyces hygroscopicus , 1987, The EMBO journal.

[10]  Joachim Schiemann,et al.  Guidance document of the scientific panel on genetically modified organisms for the risk assessment of genetically modified plants and derived food and feed: (Question No EFSA-Q-2003-005) , 2004 .

[11]  Linda Hall,et al.  Pollen flow between herbicide-resistant Brassica napus is the cause of multiple-resistant B. napus volunteers1 , 2000, Weed Science.

[12]  Hugh J. Beckie,et al.  GENE FLOW IN COMMERCIAL FIELDS OF HERBICIDE‐RESISTANT CANOLA (BRASSICA NAPUS) , 2003 .

[13]  D. Stalker,et al.  Expression in plants of a mutant aroA gene from Salmonella typhimurium confers tolerance to glyphosate , 1985, Nature.

[14]  Robin P. White,et al.  The pollination requirements of oil-seed rape (Brassica napus L.) , 1986, The Journal of Agricultural Science.

[15]  C. Damgaard,et al.  Environmental variation for outcrossing rate in rapeseed (Brassica napus) , 1992, Theoretical and Applied Genetics.

[16]  Bijay Singh,et al.  Biosynthesis and molecular regulation of amino acids in plants , 1992 .

[17]  Marie-Josée Simard,et al.  Environmental and agronomic consequences of herbicide-resistant (HR) canola in Canada. , 2004 .

[18]  C. Mariani,et al.  A chimaeric ribonuclease-inhibitor gene restores fertility to male sterile plants , 1992, Nature.

[19]  M. Crawley,et al.  Biotechnology: Transgenic crops in natural habitats , 2001, Nature.