Evaluation of transgenic canola plants under field conditions

Abstract

Eleven independent transgenic canola (Brassica napus ssp. oleifera L. cv. Westar and Regent) lines were evaluated in the field. The plants carried a neomycin phosphotransferase (NPTII) gene for kanamycin resistance that was introduced via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. NPTII enzyme assays, Southern blot hybridizations and progeny analysis, confirmed the stable, heritable integration and expression of the introduced NPTII gene. A number of agronomic characteristics evaluated under field conditions, including maturity, yield, and oil and protein content, were all statistically comparable between the transformed and nontransformed plants. These results indicate that canola can be genetically engineered successfully, and that the Agrobacterium-based transformation system employed does not induce any adverse effects on the intrinsic agronomic and qualitative traits critical to the agricultural industry.Key words: transgenic field trial, canola, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, vectors.