Potential for gene flow from genetically modified Brassica napus on the territory of Russia

Abstract

Gene flow from genetically modified crops has been studied for more than 20 years, but public concern still remains. A lot of data on this matter is obtained on the territory of EU and the USA, but in the majority of countries, such experiments were never carried out. Here, we present the first study of interspecific and intraspecific hybridization of transgenic Brassica napus on the territory of Russia. The experiment was conducted using two different models of coexistence. Cross-pollination with related species was more frequent in mixed than that in separated populations. We observed maximum 4.1% of transgenic seeds in the progeny of Brassica rapa and 0.6% in the progeny of Brassica juncea. The highest intraspecific hybridization rate of 0.67% was observed in separated populations. DNA fragments, typical to both parents, were present in the genome of the hybrids. The risk of gene flow in Russia is relatively low, but it will be problematic to do environmental monitoring on such a big territory. However, instead of banning the cultivation of genetically modified crops, some new varieties with visually detectable selective traits could be designed and approved for cultivation.