The presence of Bt-transgenic oilseed rape in wild mustard populations affects plant growth.
The adventitious presence of transgenic plants in wild plant populations is of ecological and regulatory concern, but the consequences of adventitious presence are not well understood. Here, we introduced Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac (Bt)-transgenic oilseed rape (Bt OSR, Brassica napus) with various frequencies into wild mustard (Brassica juncea) populations. We sought to better understand the adventitious presence of this transgenic insecticidal crop in a wild-relative plant population. We assessed the factors of competition, resource availability and diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) infestation on plant population dynamics. As expected, Bt OSR performed better than wild mustard in mixed populations under herbivore attack in habitats with enough resources, whereas wild mustard had higher fitness when Bt OSR was rarer in habitats with limited resources. Results suggest that the presence of insect-resistant transgenic plants could decrease the growth of wild mustard and Bt OSR plants and their populations, especially under high herbivore pressure.
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 8 Dayangfang, Beijing, 100012, China. liu.yongbo@yahoo.com.
Yongbo
Y
Liu
Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, 2431 Joe Johnson Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996-4561, USA.
C Neal
CN
Stewart
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 8 Dayangfang, Beijing, 100012, China.
Junsheng
J
Li
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 8 Dayangfang, Beijing, 100012, China.
Hai
H
Huang
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 8 Dayangfang, Beijing, 100012, China.
Xitao
X
Zhang
D000818:Animals; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000502:physiology*; D029688:Brassica napus / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000382:microbiology; D018556:Crops, Agricultural; D017753:Ecosystem; D060434:Herbivory; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D009036:Moths / Q000254:growth & development; D009149:Mustard Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000382:microbiology; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000382:microbiology
Bt content; Herbivory; Interspecies competition; Oilseed rape; Population yield; Wild mustard