Monitoring gene flow from genetically modified soybean to cultivated soybean and wild soybean in China.

Abstract

With the large-scale commercial planting of genetically modified (GM) crops in the world, the gene flow from GM crops to their wild relatives and its environmental risks have become a hot topic in the field of biosafety of GM organisms (GMOs). Wild soybean is one of the important plant genetic resources in China. China has not only imported a large amount of GM soybeans every year, but also started to carry out field experiments of GM soybeans with intellectual property rights; therefore, the gene flow of GM soybean to wild relatives and its influence on natural resources should be assessed before the commercial planting of GM soybean in China. In this chapter, the research progress of gene flow from GM soybean to cultivated soybean and wild soybean and the fitness of hybrid offspring are reviewed. This chapter reviews the current studies on gene flow from GM soybean and its consequences and also proposes further research topics.