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Research programme on ensuring coexistence between non-GM and GM agriculture as well as on biodiversity protection

Project

Production processes

This project contributes to the research aim 'Production processes'. Which funding institutions are active for this aim? What are the sub-aims? Take a look:
Production processes


Project code: FAL-PG-02-40
Contract period: 01.04.2005 - 30.04.2006
Purpose of research: Applied research

To gain extensive information on measures to ensure co-existence between GM maize and non-GM maize in Germany the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection commissioned the research programme on “securing Co-existence of GM-free and GMO-using agriculture as well as for protection of biodiversity”. The research programme, coordinated by the FAL, is realized by three Federal Research Centres of the Ministry: Federal Centre for Breeding Research on Cultivated Plants (BAZ), Federal Biological Research Centre (BBA), and Federal Agricultural Research Centre (FAL). The programme consists of two “main focuses”. Main focus 1 analyzes the potential impacts of GM-maize cultivation on several components of the agroecosystem with special emphasis on assessing whether soil microbial populations and abundance and species diversity of arthropods is affected by the cultivation of Bt-maize. In 2005 preliminary investigations will be conducted on the experimental field plots. Main focus 2 concentrates on gene flow from GM maize to non-GM maize as well as the major factors affecting outcrossing rates. In 2005 large-scale experimental plots were established at six sites in North and East Germany; these sites were characterized by a donor maize plot (i.e. pollen source) and one or more recipient maize plots (i.e. pollen receptor). Two different experimental designs were realized: design 1 allowed the measurement of outcrossing levels at both different distances and different directions (upwind, downwind) from a central pollen source. To analyze the effect of different intercrop species on the extent of gene flow, pollen source and receptor were separated by either a short wet crop (clover-grass mixture) or a high and dry crop (sunflower). Moreover, outcrossing rates at the border of the non-GM-field that faces the GM-plot can be analyzed in detail. The effect of practice relevant larger scale intercrops on the extent of gene flow from the donor to the recipient is investigated by means of field design 2. In the first year of the study three test systems for investigation of gene flow in maize were compared. In addition to a GM-test system (donor: Bt-maize; recipient: isogenic hybrid) two alternative GM-free systems were used. One of the alternative systems used yellow kernel maize as donor and white kernel maize as receptor, the other used a molecular marker to quantify gene flow from the marker-carrying donor to the marker-free recipient maize.

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Subjects

  • Crop Production
  • Plant Breeding
  • Crop Protection
  • Agroecology
  • Biotechnology
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Framework programme

BMEL Frameworkprogramme 2002

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