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Potential for seed-mediated gene flow in agroecosystems from transgenic safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) intended for plant molecular farming

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Abstract

Safflower has been transformed for field scale molecular farming of high-value proteins including several pharmaceuticals. Viable safflower seed remaining in the soil seed bank after harvest could facilitate seed and pollen-mediated gene flow. Seeds may germinate in subsequent years and volunteer plants may flower and potentially outcross with commodity safflower and/or produce seed. Seeds from volunteers could become admixed with conventional crops at harvest, and/or replenish the seed bank. Seed in following crops could be transported locally and internationally and facilitate gene flow in locations where regulatory thresholds and public acceptance differ from Canada. Seed-mediated gene flow was examined in three studies. Safflower seed loss and viability following harvest of commercial fields of a non-transgenic cultivar were determined. We assessed seed longevity of transgenic and non-transgenic safflower, on the soil surface and buried at two depths. Finally, we surveyed commercial safflower fields at different sites and measured density and growth stage of safflower volunteers, in other crops the following year and documented volunteer survival and viable seed production. Total seed loss at harvest in commercial fields, ranged from 231 to 1,069 seeds m−2 and the number of viable seeds ranged from 81 to 518 seeds m−2. Safflower has a relatively short longevity in the seed bank and no viable seeds were found after 2 years. Based on the seed burial studies it is predicted that winter conditions would reduce safflower seed viability on the soil surface by >50%, leaving between 40 and 260 viable seeds m−2. The density of safflower volunteers emerging in the early spring of the following year ranged from 3 to 11 seedlings m−2. Safflower volunteers did not survive in fields under chemical fallow, but in some cereal fields small numbers of volunteers did survive and generate viable seed. Results will be used to make recommendations for best management practices to reduce seed-mediated gene flow from commercial production of plant molecular farming with safflower.

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Abbreviations

PMF:

Plant molecular farming

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge funding from the University of Alberta, Natural Sciences Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), New Initiatives Fund Alberta Agriculture and Food (AAF), and SemBioSys Genetics Inc. Technical support was provided by Lisa Raatz, Debby Topinka, and Greg Iwaasa. We would also like to acknowledge technical, agronomic, and scientific inputs from many people with AAF. We would like to extend our gratitude to Brian Otto, Jerry Kubik Jr., Dan Stryker and their families for use of their land and the time they provided during interviews, planning of experiments and help to maintain plot areas. We extend our gratitude to the editor and anonymous reviewers for comments which improved the quality of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, 410 Ag/Forestry Building, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2P5

    Marc A. McPherson, Rong-Cai Yang, Ryan L. Nielson & Linda M. Hall

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, G-425A Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2E9

    Allen G. Good

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  1. Marc A. McPherson
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  2. Rong-Cai Yang
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Correspondence to Marc A. McPherson.

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McPherson, M.A., Yang, RC., Good, A.G. et al. Potential for seed-mediated gene flow in agroecosystems from transgenic safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) intended for plant molecular farming. Transgenic Res 18, 281–299 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11248-008-9217-0

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