title: Characterization of Natural and Simulated Herbivory on Wild Soybean (Glycine soja Seib. et Zucc.) for Use in Ecological Risk Assessment of Insect Protected Soybean.
abstract: Insect-protected soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) was developed to protect against foliage feeding by certain Lepidopteran insects. The assessment of potential consequences of transgene introgression from soybean to wild soybean (Glycine soja Seib. et Zucc.) is required as one aspect of the environmental risk assessment (ERA) in Japan. A potential hazard of insect-protected soybean may be hypothesized as transfer of a trait by gene flow to wild soybean and subsequent reduction in foliage feeding by Lepidopteran insects that result in increased weediness of wild soybean in Japan. To assess this potential hazard two studies were conducted. A three-year survey of wild soybean populations in Japan was conducted to establish basic information on foliage damage caused by different herbivores. When assessed across all populations and years within each prefecture, the total foliage from different herbivores was ≤ 30%, with the lowest levels of defoliation (< 2%) caused by Lepidopteran insects. A separate experiment using five levels of simulated defoliation (0%, 10%, 25%, 50% and 100%) was conducted to assess the impact on pod and seed production and time to maturity of wild soybean. The results indicated that there was no decrease in wild soybean plants pod or seed number or time to maturity at defoliation rates up to 50%. The results from these experiments indicate that wild soybean is not limited by lepidopteran feeding and has an ability to compensate for defoliation levels observed in nature. Therefore, the potential hazard to wild soybean from the importation of insect-protected soybean for food and feed into Japan is negligible.
authors.affiliation: Monsanto Japan Limited, 2-5-18, Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0031, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidetoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.affiliation: Monsanto Japan Limited, Kawachi Research Farm, 4475-2, Manaita Aza Dotemukai, Kawachi-machi, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki, 300-1331, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.affiliation: Monsanto Company, 800 N Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63167, United States of America.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Horak
authors.affiliation: Monsanto Company, 800 N Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63167, United States of America.
authors.forename: Aqeel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.affiliation: Monsanto Company, 800 N Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63167, United States of America.
authors.forename: Baltazar M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Baltazar
authors.affiliation: Monsanto Company, 800 N Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63167, United States of America.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.affiliation: Monsanto Company, 800 N Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63167, United States of America.
authors.forename: Marc A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: McPherson
authors.affiliation: Monsanto Company, 800 N Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63167, United States of America.
authors.forename: Duška
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stojšin
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, Toho University, 2-2-1 Miyata, Funabashi, Chiba, 274-8510, Japan.
authors.forename: Ayako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shimono
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Breeding, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ohsawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D017753:Ecosystem; D060434:Herbivory; D007313:Insecta / Q000502:physiology*; D007564:Japan; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D013025:Glycine max / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*