GENE DISPERSAL FROM GENETICALLY-MODIFIED OIL SEED RAPE IN THE FIELD

A field trial was carried out with oil seed rape plants that had been genetically modified to contain genes coding for marker characters (be ta-glucuronidase, kanamycin resistance and asulam resistance). The aim of the experiment was to examine a method of studying gene dispersal in an agricultural environment. The central area of the field plot com prised 150 genetically modified plants and 450 plants not expressing t he marker genes. These were surrounded by additional non-expressing pl ants. The plants were allowed to freely cross pollinate and a sample o f the resultant progeny from non-expressing plants were screened for e xpression of the marker characters and for the presence of the introdu ced genes (by PCR). Limited gene dispersal was detected and the freque ncy of modified seedlings amongst the progeny of a plant appeared to h ave been strongly influenced by the genotype of the immediately adjace nt plants.