Bioengineered Genes Transmitted by Pollen

Genes from genetically engineered canola are able to spread to other fields but have only a modest effect, according to a study that found pollen fertilizing seeds more than a mile away. Australian researchers reported in the June 28 issue of Science that they collected seeds from 63 fields near a canola crop that was genetically modified to be herbicide-resistant. Canola is used to make cooking oil.

They found that the herbicide resistance spread to 63% of the other canola fields and that the percentage of resistant genes in seeds from those fields ranged from 0.2% to less than 0.03%. Some of the fields were up to 1.8 miles away from the gene-modified crop. The team said that the findings did not indicate any threat but that it may be impossible to prevent with certainty any mixing of gene-modified and conventional crops once the engineered crops are planted in large fields.