title: A large-scale field study of transgene flow from cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) to common wild rice (O. rufipogon) and barnyard grass (Echinochloa crusgalli).
abstract: The introgression of transgenes into wild relatives or weeds through pollen-mediated gene flow is a major concern in environmental risk assessment of transgenic crops. A large-scale (1.3-1.8 ha) rice gene flow study was conducted using transgenic rice containing the bar gene as a pollen donor and Oryza rufipogon as a recipient. There was a high frequency of transgene flow (11%-18%) at 0-1 m, with a steep decline with increasing distance to a detection limit of 0.01% by 250 m. To our knowledge, this is the highest frequency and longest distance of gene flow from transgenic rice to O. rufipogon reported so far. On the basis of these data, an adequate isolation distance from both conventional and transgenic rice should be taken for in situ conservation of common wild rice. Meanwhile, there is no evidence of transgene introgression into barnyard grass, even when it has coexisted with transgenic rice containing the bar gene for five successive years. Thus, the environmental risk of gene flow to this weedy species is of little concern.
authors.affiliation: Rice Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 51064, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qian-Hua
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Wu-Ge
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ba-Geng
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Kuang
authors.forename: Da-Li
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Yi-Long
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Shi-Rong
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Jia
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D031747:Echinochloa / Q000235:genetics*; D051456:Gene Flow / Q000502:physiology*; D017343:Genes, Plant; D018745:Genome, Plant; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D006109:Poaceae / Q000235:genetics*; D019076:Transgenes; D014887:Weather