No Adverse Effect of GM Wheat on Soil Fauna Community

The effect of GM crops on non-target soil fauna organisms is one of the environmental concerns about GM crop production. These organisms are largely exposed to GM plant residues because of their role in the decomposition of organic matter. In a litter bag experiment, Caroline Duc and colleagues at the University of Bern, Switzerland, analyzed the effect of GM wheat on the decomposition and community performance of soil fauna . They used four experimental GM wheat varieties (two varieties with race-specific antifungal resistance to powdery mildew; two with unspecific antifungal resistance). They compared the performance of the organisms exposed to GM wheat and non-GM counterparts and six conventional cereal varieties.

The predominant taxa extracted from decaying plant material were mites, springtails, annelids, and Diptera. No significant effect of GM wheat was found in the soil fauna community. Difference was more pronounced among conventional cereal varieties than in GM and non-GM wheat such as in the leaf residue composition. Sampling date and location were important factors affecting soil fauna community and decomposition process. Based on the findings, antifungal GM wheat has no ecologically significant effects on the composition and activity of the soil fauna community.

Read the open-access article at http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0025014.