Deliberate release into the
environment of GMOs for any other purposes than placing on the
market
Field trials with herbicide tolerant
cotton, following a two-year program frame (2004-2005) - Bayer
CropScience, S.L. - Spain |
Date of publication: May 17, 2004
Source:
http://gmoinfo.jrc.it/gmp_browse_geninf.asp
Notification
report
General information
Notification Number:
B/ES/04/14
Member State: Spain
Date of Acknowledgement: 21/04/2004
Title of the Project: Field trials with herbicide
tolerant cotton , following a two-year program frame
(2004-2005).
Proposed period of release From:21/04/2004
To:30/11/2004
Name of the Institute(s) or Company(ies): Bayer
CropScience, S.L.;
3. Is the same GMPt release planned elsewhere in the
Community? Yes:
Planned outside the EU: Australia
4 - Has the same GMPt been notified elsewhere by the same
notifier? Yes
If yes, notification number(s): -
Notified outside the Community
If yes, notification number: - USA: (APHIS 99-007-08n;
00-074-14n; 00-108-10n; 00-119-05n; 00-258-02n; 01-075-17n;
01-102-21n; 01-08-05n; 01-271-05n) - Australia: (OGTR DIR
015/2002; DIR 038/2003)
Genetically
modified plant
1. Complete name of the
recipient or parental plant(s)
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Common Name
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Family Name
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Genus
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Species
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Subspecies
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Cultivar/breeding line
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cotton |
malvaceae |
gossypium |
gossypium hirsutum
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Coker312, other breeding lines
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2. Description of the traits and characteristics which have
been introduced or modified, including marker genes and previous
modifications:
Glufosinate ammonium herbicide toleranc
Genetic
modification
3. Type of genetic
modification:
Insertion;
4. In case of insertion of genetic material, give the source
and intended function of each constituent fragment of the region
to be inserted:
Genetic elements which confer the phenotype of tolerance to
the herbicide glufosinate ammonium:
- P35S3 : Promotor region of the 35S transcript from Cauliflower
Mosaic Virus
- bar : Coding sequence of the phosphinothricin
acetyltransferase gene (bar) from Streptomyces hygroscopicus
- 3’ nos : the 3’untranslated region of the nopaline synthase
gene from the T-DNA of pTiT37 from Agrobacterium tumefaciens
6. Brief description of the method used for the genetic
modification:
The transgenic cotton lines are generated using disarmed
Agrobacterium-mediated transformation
7. If the recipient or parental plant is a forest tree
species, describe ways and extent of dissemination and specific
factors affecting dissemination:
Not relevant.
Experimental
Release
1. Purpose of the
release:
The purpose of this study is to evaluate glufosinate
tolerance under the climatic conditions of the Spanish cotton
cultivation zone, and the efficacy on the problem weeds of
cotton, as well as the environmental behaviour (survivability,
dormancy) of the Genetically Modified Organism. No crosses are
planned.
An additional field trial will provide plant reference material.
2. Geographical location of the site:
2004 : 5 locations in Spain in the province of Cataluña + 1
location in Cataluña also but with the non transgenic cotton.
3. Size of the site (m2):
2004 :
1.Biosafety trial: each location will have a surface of
approximately 500m² of transgenic plants
2.Multiplication trial: the trial will have a surface of
approximately 1200m² of transgenic plants
4. Relevant data regarding previous releases carried out with
the same GM-plant, if any, specifically related to the potential
environmental and human health impacts from the release:
The previous releases took place in the US from 1999 to 2001,
on a total of more than 40 locations. One trial is currently
ongoing in Australia. A summary of the findings include:
- The genetic change is stable and the introduced gene produces
a protein which has a proven safety profile.
- The new glufosinate-tolerant cotton varieties share the
characteristics of cotton plants in agricultural production and
of cottonseed in commerce.
- In side-by-side comparisons with the non-transgenic parent
variety of plant morphological characters and analysis of
components of nutritional importance, no evidence of pleiotropic
effects were detected.
- There is no cause for concern to non-target organisms
presented by the new plant varieties or the new use of the
herbicide, glufosinate.
- The potential for gene flow, the transfer of glufosinate
herbicide tolerance to wild or weedy cotton relatives, is low.
- The consequence of gene flow will not be detrimental to
current agronomic systems and can be managed by current
agricultural practices.
- There is no cause for concern for the human consumption and
for animal feed use of the seed or plant products derived from
the LibertyLink cotton varieties based upon transformation event
LLCotton25.
- Liberty system complements current cotton field weed control
practices.
- The agricultural requirements of cotton crops for irrigation
and temperate climate prevent glufosinate-tolerant cotton from
becoming invasive of new habitats as a result of export
activities.
Environmental
Impact and Risk Management
Summary of the potential
environmental impact from the release of the GMPts:
Genetically modified cotton has the same behaviour as
conventional cotton except for the characters encoded by the
inserted bar gene.
Due to the measures taken in the trials and the lack of wild
relatives of cotton in Europe, BCS consider that gene transfer
is unlikely to happen, neither to other species nor to
conventional cotton.
However if a weed or a volunteer would receive the transgene,
this would not confer any selective advantage in the absence of
glufosinate treatment.
This transgenic cotton has been tested at various locations in
the US and in Australia and post-harvest monitoring did not
report any adverse effects on the environment.
The bar gene has been approved in various crops since 1995, for
environmental release, food and feed by different agencies in
the world including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan
and the US. Regarding cotton specifically, transgenic lines
tolerant to herbicides are also developed and approved in
various countries since 1994.
Brief description of any measures taken for the management of
risks:
The trials will be conducted with an isolation distance of
200 m from any other cotton. The field trial sites will be
surrounded with at least 4 rows of non-transgenic cotton (pollen
trap) which will be destroyed after flowering. The
multiplication assay will be isolated by 1.5 km from any other
cotton field.
The products harvested from the field trials will be used for
experimental purposes or destroyed.
Each site will be visited on a regular basis during the trial
period.
Summary of foreseen field trial studies focused to gain new
data on environmental and human health impact from the release:
The planned field trials are designed in order to :
1. Confirm the efficacy of the Liberty system;
2. Evaluate any change in the capacity for survival or dormancy
of the transgenic plant under typical Spanish conditions;
3. Increase of seed for the production of reference material.
The planned field trials are not designed to address the impact
of the release on human health. |
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