A Review of the Unintentional Release of Feral Genetically Modified Rapeseed into the Environment

Abstract

Globally, the cultivation area of genetically modified (GM) crops is increasing dramatically. Despite their well-known benefits, they may also pose many risks to agriculture and the environment. Among the various GM crops, GM rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is widely cultivated, mainly for oil production. At the same time, B. napus possesses a number of characteristics, including the ability to form feral populations and act as small-seeded weeds, and has a high potential for hybridization with other species. In this review, we provide an overview of the commercialization, approval status, and cultivation of GM rapeseed, as well as the status of the feral rapeseed populations. In addition, we highlight the case studies on the unintentional environmental release of GM rapeseed during transportation in several countries. Previous studies suggest that the main reason for the unintentional release is seed spillage during transport/importing of rapeseed in both GM rapeseed-cultivating and -non-cultivating countries. Despite the fact that incidents of unintentional release have been recorded often, there have been no reports of serious detrimental consequences. However, since rapeseed has a high potential for hybridization, the possibilities of gene flow within the genus, especially with B. rapa, are relatively significant, and considering their weedy properties, effective management methods are needed. Hence, we recommend that specific programs be used for the effective monitoring of environmental releases of GM rapeseed as well as management to avoid environmental and agricultural perturbations.

Rate of crop‐weed hybridization in Sorghum bicolor × Sorghum halepense is influenced by genetic background, pollen load, and the environment

“…It is likely that the hybrids produced with feral S. bicolor in the roadside environments could in turn establish feral hybrid populations, with the ability of backcrossing with either of the parents occurring in these habitats, eventually leading to trait introgression (Ohadi et al, 2017 ). The establishment, persistence, and introgression of traits in feral oilseed rape in roadside environments have been widely reported (e.g., Bailleul et al, 2016 ; Crawley & Brown, 2004 ; Knispel et al, 2008 ; Sohn et al, 2021 ). In a study involving S. halepense × S. bicolor ( S. halepense as the female parent), Arriola and Ellstrand ( 1997 ) compared the F 1 hybrids with the S. halepense parent and observed that the hybrids did not differ from S. halepense in terms of tiller production, time of flowering, time to panicle production, pollen viability, fecundity, or biomass.…”

Interspecific Hybridization of Transgenic Brassica napus and Brassica rapa—An Overview

“…Globally, the cropping area of genetically modified (GM) crops has constantly increased since 1996 [ 1 ]. GM crops cause huge nuisances to the environment, such as super weeds and introgressive hybridization.…”

“…It can spontaneously hybridize with B. rapa in both greenhouse and field experiments [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. One of the main issues in the cultivation of transgenic B. napus is that the transgene may have been transferred through hand pollination and/or spontaneously to their wild relatives/cultivars, with undesired ecological consequences that can increase the fitness and invasiveness of weedy populations [ 1 ]. Aside from that, GM crops and their transgenes spread via seed spillage during transportation and pollen-mediated gene transfers, resulting in feral populations [ 1 , 15 ].…”

Characteristics and Fitness Analysis through Interspecific Hybrid Progenies of Transgenic Brassica napus and B. rapa L. ssp.

“…The production has experienced over a 100-fold increase [1,2]. However, the main problem is potential transgene flow from GM crops that can affect non-transgenic counterparts, such as closely related or sexually compatible species [3]. Thus, the concerns about the gene flow from GM crops to their wild relatives have been intensified in the countries where their commercial cultivation is authorized.…”

“…have focused on crosses between transgenic B. napus (2n = 38; AACC) and wild relative B. rapa (2n = 20; AA) [5,23,24]. Spontaneous hybridization occurs in Europe and the United States, and their generations can easily backcross to B. rapa in wild environments [3,25,26]. However, limited information is known about the consequences of invasion between B. napus and B. rapa, and gene establishment is not well documented [27].…”