Study Explores Need for Confined Field Trials for Rapeseed in Japan

Japan requires confined field trials of genetically modified (GM) crops for environmental risk assessment. By comparing the GM crop with its non-GM counterpart in the trials, differences in growth in the local environmental settings will be considered. However, some events of GM maize and GM cotton have been exempted from such requirement and data from the trials conducted in other countries were considered.

For GM rapeseed, the in-country confined field trials remain as a requirement before approval. Thus, University of Tsukuba researchers conducted a study to verify if such a requirement is necessary for the particular crop under the Japanese environmental conditions. Agronomic data from seven local trials of rapeseed were collected to evaluate the potential for differences between GM and non-GM rapeseed, particularly in competitiveness, potential to develop harmful substances, and outcrossing.

The findings showed that conducting a local confined field trial for rapeseed is not necessary, especially if the traits do not bring a competitive advantage or produce harmful substances only in the Japanese environment.

Read the research article in Transgenic Research.