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[SANET-MG] long term impact of GM canola on biodiversity



 Biology Letters
ISSN: 1744-9561 (Paper) 1744-957X (Online)
Issue: FirstCite Early Online Publishing
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2005.0390
URL: Linking Options
Effects of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant cropping systems on weed seedbanks in two years of following crops

L.G. Firbank A1, P. Rothery A2, M.J. May A3, S.J. Clark A4, R.J. Scott A1, R.C. Stuart A1, C.W.H. Boffey A4, D.R. Brooks A5, G.T. Champion A3, A.J. Haughton A5, C. Hawes A6, M.S. Heard A2, A.M. Dewar A3, J.N. Perry A5, G.R. Squire A6

A1 Lancaster Environment Centre Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP, UK A2 Abbots Ripton Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28 2LS, UK A3 Broom's Barn Research Station Higham, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP28 6NP, UK A4 Winfrith Technology Centre Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Dorchester, Dorset DT2 8ZD, UK
A5 Rothamsted Research Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, UK
A6 Scottish Crop Research Institute Invergowrie, Dundee DD2 5DA, UK
Abstract:

The Farm Scale Evaluations (FSEs) showed that genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) cropping systems could influence farmland biodiversity because of their effects on weed biomass and seed production. Recently published results for winter oilseed rape showed that a switch to GMHT crops significantly affected weed seedbanks for at least 2 years after the crops were sown, potentially causing longer-term effects on other taxa. Here, we seek evidence for similar medium-term effects on weed seedbanks following spring-sown GMHT crops, using newly available data from the FSEs. Weed seedbanks following GMHT maize were significantly higher than following conventional varieties for both the first and second years, while by contrast, seedbanks following GMHT spring oilseed rape were significantly lower over this period. Seedbanks following GMHT beet were smaller than following conventional crops in the first year after the crops had been sown, but this difference was much reduced by the second year for reasons that are not clear. These new data provide important empirical evidence for longer-term effects of GMHT cropping on farmland biodiversity.

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