Persistence of an oilseed rape transgene in the environment

Transgenic bromoxynil (BX)-resistant spring oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) was grown commercially in Canada only for two crop seasons – 2000 and 2001. We investigated the persistence of suspected BX-resistant oilseed rape volunteers in a 64-ha wheat field in Saskatchewan, Canada in 2007, 7 years after the BX-resistant cultivar BX Armor was grown. A small oilseed rape volunteer population, estimated at less than 100 plants, was observed in three main areas or patches in the field. These patches were located in low-lying areas that were too wet to plant or spray with herbicides in 2007. Viable seed was collected from 35 mature volunteers and F1 progeny screened with BX at 280 g ai/ha in the greenhouse. Progeny of all of the volunteers were visually rated as BX-resistant; the presence of the Oxy 235 transgene in leaf tissue of progeny of all volunteers was confirmed by PCR analysis. This study has documented the longest persistence of oilseed rape volunteers in Canada. Volunteers were not observed in 2008 or 2009, because of drought conditions in spring of both years. Results support the findings from previous studies that persistence of volunteer oilseed rape populations in western Canada is generally ephemeral or transitory in the absence of seed bank immigration. However, this study shows that oilseed rape transgenes can persist in the environment for a number of years even after all cultivars with the conferred trait are removed from the market.