GMO Research
Abstract: Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) is a perennial, obligate outcrossing species mainly used on golf courses. Glyphosate resistant (Roundup Ready) transgenic creeping bentgrass was developed by Scotts Company and Monsanto. While still a regulated article, it was planted in Oregon and Idaho for seed production. In Oregon, about 160 ha were planted in Central Oregon …
Abstract: Gene flow from transgenic crops to feral populations and naturalized compatible relatives has been raised as one of the main issues for the deregulation of transgenic events. Creeping bentgrass, Agrostis stolonifera L., is a perennial, outcrossing grass that propagates by seeds and stolons. Transgenic Roundup Ready® glyphosate-resistant creeping bentgrass (GRCB), which is currently under …
Abstract: Sampling methods and results of a gene flow study are described that will be of interest to plant scientists, evolutionary biologists, ecologists, and stakeholders assessing the environmental safety of transgenic crops. This study documents gene flow on a landscape level from creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.), one of the first wind-pollinated, perennial, and highly …
Abstract: Ecologists have paid close attention to environmental effects that fitness-enhancing transgenes might have following crop-to-wild gene flow (e.g. Snow et al. 2003). For some crops, gene flow also can lead to legal problems,especially when government agencies have not approved transgenic events for unrestricted environmental release.Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera), a common turf grass used in …
Abstract: Since the Willamette Valley produces nearly all of the bentgrass (Agrostis spp.) seed grown in the USA and exports bentgrass seed in large quantities to Europe, risks associated with the commercial production of transgenic cultivars in the major grass seed production area of the world must be defined. Bentgrass can be a serious weed …
Abstract: Concerns about genetically modified (GM) crops include transgene flow to compatible wild species and unintended ecological consequences of potential transgene introgression. However, there has been little empirical documentation of establishment and distribution of transgenic plants in wild populations. We present herein the first evidence for escape of transgenes into wild plant populations within the …
Abstract: Gene flow is the most frequently expressed public concern related to the deregulation of transgenic events (Snow 2002; Ellstrand 2003). However, assessing the potential for transgene escape is complex because it depends on the opportunities for unintended gene flow, and establishment and persistence of the transgene in the environment (Warwick et al. 2008). Creeping …
Abstract: The importance of understanding the role of atmospheric conditions in pollen dispersal has grown in recent years with increased field‐testing of genetically modified (GM) crop plants. An atmospheric model was used to characterize wind trajectories at 10 m and 100 m above GM pollen source fields located within a 4452‐ha “control” area north of …
Text: Genetically engineered (GE) crops have been a contentious issue from the start, with heated debate between supporters and detractors. Much of this exchange has taken place behind the scenes, inside regulatory bureaucracies. Recently, however, the debate about transgenic crops has re‐emerged into the public spotlight, driven by a convergence of environmental and economic concerns. …
Abstract: A possible consequence of planting genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in centres of crop origin is unintended gene flow into traditional landraces. In 2001, a study reported the presence of the transgenic 35S promoter in maize landraces sampled in 2000 from the Sierra Juarez of Oaxaca, Mexico. Analysis of a large sample taken from the …
