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[SANET-MG] RR canola crops turn into nuisance weeds



Another nuisance nor mentioned in the description of the problem with
volunteer RR canola weeds is the goons from Monsanto who come demanding
money for patent license fees and the stupid judges who assist them.
Special Issue Paper
Volume 61, Issue 3 (March 2005) Pest Management Science
Risks and consequences of gene flow from herbicide-resistant crops:
canola (Brassica napus L) as a case study
Anne Légère *
Soils and Crops Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada, 2560 boul Hochelaga, Sainte-Foy, QC, G1V 2J3, Canada
email: Anne Légère (legerea@agr.gc.ca)

*Correspondence to Anne Légère, Soils and Crops Research and Development
Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2560 boul Hochelaga,
Sainte-Foy, QC, G1V 2J3, Canada
Paper presented at the symposium Herbicide-resistant crops from
biotechnology: current and future status, held by the Agrochemicals
Division of the American Chemical Society at the 227th National Meeting,
Anaheim, CA, 29-30 March, 2004, to mark the presentation of the
International Award for Research in Agrochemicals to Dr Stephen O Duke
Keywords
gene flow • transgenic crop • herbicide resistance • canola • oilseed
rape • Brassica napus
Abstract
Data from the literature and recent experiments with herbicide-resistant
(HR) canola (Brassica napus L) repeatedly confirm that genes and
transgenes will flow and hybrids will form if certain conditions are
met. These include sympatry with a compatible relative (weedy, wild or
crop), synchrony of flowering, successful fertilization and viable
offspring. The chance of these events occurring is real; however, it is
generally low and varies with species and circumstances. Plants of the
same species (non-transgenic or with a different HR transgene) in
neighbouring fields may inherit the new HR gene, potentially generating
plants with single and multiple HR. For canola, seed losses at harvest
and secondary dormancy ensures the persistence over time of the HR
trait(s) in the seed bank, and the potential presence of crop volunteers
in subsequent crops. Although canola has many wild/weedy relatives, the
risk of gene flow is quite low for most of these species, except with
Brassica rapa L. Introgression of genes and transgenes in B rapa
populations occurs with apparently little or no fitness costs.
Consequences of HR canola gene flow for the agro-ecosystem include
contamination of seed lots, potentially more complex and costly control
strategy, and limitations in cropping system design. Consequences for
non-agricultural habitats may be minor but appear largely undocumented.
For the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Government of Canada, ©
Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada 2005. Published
for SCI by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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