Hybridization Between Brassica napus and B. rapa
on a National Scale in the United Kingdom

Background

Many crops in the United Kingdom are able to cross-fertilize wild relatives to form hybrids. If such hybrids are formed from GM crops, there are concerns that the transgene they contain could move into the wild species and ultimately change its ecology in some way. Whilst the presence of such hybrids is not necessarily a problem in itself, it is important to quantify hybrids if we are to be able to predict the nature, speed and location of transgene movement. This should be done at the national scale if the results generated are to have value for the regulatory process. This kind of study can be performed using conventional crops so that the results are available in advance of the commercial release of GM cultivars.

In the present work, we have provided the first national estimate of the frequency and distribution of hybrids between conventional rapeseed (oilseed rape, Brassica napus) and wild bargeman's cabbage (B. rapa) in the United Kingdom.

 
 
Wild Bargeman's Cabbage plants (centre) growing along the river Nene beside a field of Rapeseed (left) in Northhamptonshire.

 

How to predict hybrid numbers on a national scale:

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Background || Preliminary Research || Local Hybrids || Long-range Hybrids || Weedy Hybrids || Significance