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Notification report

General information

Notification Number
B/SE/08/1613

Member State to which the notification was sent
Sweden

Date of acknowledgement from the Member State Competent Authority
31/01/2008

Title of the Project
Notification for the field testing of spring oilseed rape (Brassica napus) genetically modified for improved oil composition in the seed

Proposed period of release:
01/04/2008 to 31/12/2012

Name of the Institute(s) or Company(ies)
Plant Science Sweden AB, Herman Ehles väg 2-4
SE-268 31 Svalöv
Sweden;


3. Is the same GMPt release planned elsewhere in the Community?
Yes:


Has the same GMPt been notified elsewhere by the same notifier?
No

Genetically modified plant

Complete name of the recipient or parental plant(s)

Common Name	Family Name	Genus	Species	Subspecies	Cultivar/breeding line
spring oilseed rape	brassicaceae	brassica	brassica napus	napus (syn. oleifera)	B878

2. Description of the traits and characteristics which have been introduced or modified, including marker genes and previous modifications:
- Improved oil composition in the seed
- Marker gene ahas (tolerance to Imidazolinones) as selectable marker gene to identify transgenic cells in tissue culture

Genetic modification

3. Type of genetic modification:
Insertion;

In case of insertion of genetic material, give the source and intended function of each constituent fragment of the region to be inserted:
Trait genes used:
- Moss-derived Δ6-Elongase
- Algae-derived Δ6-Desaturase
- Fungal-derived Δ6-Desaturase
- Fungal-derived Δ5-Desaturase
- Fungal-derived Δ12-Desaturase

The trait genes are combined with the following promoters:
- the napin promoter (p-Napin) from Brassica napus
- the promoter of a 2S storage protein from (p-conlinin) from Linum usitatissinum
- the promoter of the legumin B4 gene (p-2.7LeB4) from Vicia faba
- the promoter of a Sucrose Binding Protein (p-SBP) of Vicia faba
- the promoter of a seed protein gene (p-USP) from Vicia faba

The following terminators are used for termination of the trait genes:
- the terminator of the legumin B3 gene (t-Leb3_3’UTR) from Vicia faba (Heim et al. 1994)
- the terminator of the 35S gene (t-CaMV35S) from the Cauliflower mosaic virus.
- the terminator of the octopine synthase gene (t-OCS) from A. tumefaciens
- the terminator of the Cathepsin D inhibitor gene (t-StCat) from Solanum tuberosum

The selection cassette contains following elements:
- the promoter from Petroselinum crispum (p-PcUbi),
- Atahas (Acetohydroxyacid synthase) gene carrying the mutants A122T and S653N from Arabidopsis thaliana
- nos (nopaline synthase) terminator from Agrobacterium tumefaciens
- the mf-SceI1 sense and antisense excision recognition sites

6. Brief description of the method used for the genetic modification:
An Agrobacterium based transformation system was used for transformation of spring oilseed rape B878.

7. If the recipient or parental plant is a forest tree species, describe ways and extent of dissemination and specific factors affecting dissemination:
Not applicable.

Experimental Release

1. Purpose of the release:
The specific purpose of the release is the evaluation of the performance of the added trait under field conditions for research purposes.

2. Geographical location of the site:
Municipalities of Eslöv, Svalöv, Klippan, Kristianstad and Vara.

3. Size of the site (m2):
Total Area will not exceed 15 ha (150 000m2) per year

4. Relevant data regarding previous releases carried out with the same GM-plant, if any, specifically related to the potential environmental and human health impacts from the release:
No previous releases have been carried out.

Environmental Impact and Risk Management

Summary of the potential environmental impact from the release of the GMPts:
The genetically modified oilseed rape lines show an altered fatty acid composition in seeds towards very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. The plant material also shows tolerance during the selection process to the imidazolinone herbicides in tissue culture.

The added traits are not likely to have a critical influence under field conditions on any important competitive factors such as pollen production/dispersal, fertility or compatibility, nectar production, seed dispersal or general fitness. Based on observations in the greenhouse the genetically modified oilseed rape lines do not differ from the parental control lines in their morphology, flowering time, germination rate or kernel weight. No difference regarding persistence in agricultural habitats or invasiveness in natural habitats or persistence in agricultural habitats compared to conventional oilseed rape is expected.

Considering the very low likelihood of the introduced traits to confer increased fitness or the GM oilseed rape lines in any other way to become more persistent than the parental Brassica napus plant material in agricultural habitats or more invasive in natural habitats, the overall impact is expected to be negligible.

Any effects from the ahas gene on non-target organisms are not expected and have not been reported from other field trials harbouring this trait. The overall impact is expected to be negligible.

Brief description of any measures taken for the management of risks:
An isolation distance of 800m to other Brassica crops will be observed. Planting and harvesting equipment will be cleaned on site to prevent the dispersal of GM seeds. There will be no oilseed rape or any other crossable crop cultivation on the release area the following four years after the release. Potential volunteers will be monitored and removed according to conventional agricultural practice. During the release the trial site will be monitored at defined intervals.

Summary of foreseen field trial studies focused to gain new data on environmental and human health impact from the release:
Not applicable.

Final report


European Commission administrative information

Consent given by the Member State Competent Authority:
Yes
08/05/2008 00:00:00
Remarks: