Transgene Flow to Hybrid Rice and its Male Sterile Lines

Field trials of GM rice have been reported to require big isolation distances to as much as 200 m from the nearest standing rice crop. A study in the Biotechnology Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing and its other collaborators in the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hainan University, and the National 863 Program in Sanya shows that this is not necessary.

Results of their collaborative study revealed that under parallel plantation at the 0-1 m zone, the transgene flow frequency in male sterile lines ranged from 3.145 to 36.116% and was significantly higher than that to hybrid rice cultivars (0.037–0.045%). Gene flow frequency decreased as the distance increased, with a sharp cutoff point at about 1–2 m. The maximum distance of transgene flow measured was 30–40 m to rice cultivars and 40–150 m to ms lines.

The authors are optimistic that these new findings would set-off a change in the regulations on isolation distance applied for GM rice and in risk assessment procedures.

Please read the full paper in http://www.springerlink.com/content/t55571780282/?p=e1dc8deb90f7463bac816ee2aecafa04&pi=0