Plant sciences. Will GM rapeseed cut the mustard?

Abstract

Genetic modification can render crops resistant to herbicides, providing them with a growth advantage so that they can outcompete weeds. However, there are concerns about the possibility that transgenes could flow from GM crops into wild plant populations. In his Perspective, Heritage discusses these important issues in terms of a new report (Wilkinson et al.) that provides a nationwide assessment in the UK of the ability of the conventional crop, oilseed rape (Brassica napus), to form hybrids with its wild relatives.