Analysis of gene flow from crop to wild forms in lettuce and chicory and its population-ecological consequences in the context of GM-crop biosafety

The anticipated risk of escape of transgenes from genetically modified crops to wild allies has revealed a serious lack in knowledge about gene flow from cultivated to wild forms of crop plants and its possible consequences for the environment, such as increased weediness. Therefore, this project aims at developing molecular tools dedicated to assessing gene flow in two model crops, one basically outcrossing, chicory, and one basically selfing, lettuce. Consequences of gene flow for fitness will be studied by demographic monitoring of natural and experimental hybrid populations.
 
Wild lettuce, L. serriola, also will serve as a model species for invasive behaviour, and its recent expansion into Northwestern Europe will be studied biogeographically with the aid of molecular markers. The results will be integrated into a model from which recommendations will come for assessing GM-crop biosafety.

Scientific objectives and approach

a) To trace evidence of introgression from cultivated to wild forms in lettuce and chicory using several molecular marker techniques comprising both neutral markers and markers linked to traits that may affect fitness, e.g. disease resistance genes.

b) To establish the degree of outcrossing under field conditions in wild forms using molecular marker techniques.

c) To study the consequences of gene flow from cultivated to wild forms by field trials, by demographical monitoring and by modeling of both natural and experimental crop-wild hybrid populations.

d) To obtain insight in the recent invasiveness into NW Europe of the wild form of lettuce by characterizing populations along a north-south and an east-west transect through Europe using molecular markers, paying attention to whether there is a role of crop introgression into the wild species.

e) To derive recommendations for handling ecological aspects of assessing GM-crop biosafety.

 
Completed
 

Page updated  04.05.2009


Rikke Bagger Jørgensen
Senior scientist
Biosystems (BIO)
Dir tel+45