Characterization of competitive interactions in the coexistence of Bt-transgenic and conventional rice

BMC Biotechnology

Research Article

Gang Wu¹  Yuyong Liang²  Junsheng Li³  Yongbo Liu³  Feng Ge⁴ 

[1] Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070, Wuhan, China;Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 330200, Nanchang, China;State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 100012, Beijing, China;State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 8 Dayangfang, 100101, Beijing, China;

关键词: Coexistence;    Transgenic rice;    Competitive ability;    Herbivory;    Agricultural ecosystem;    Natural ecosystem;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12896-015-0141-0

 received in 2014-11-04, accepted in 2015-04-13,  发布年份 2015

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundTransgene flow through pollen and seeds leads to transgenic volunteers and feral populations in the nature, and consumer choice and economic incentives determine whether transgenic crops will be cultivated in the field. Transgenic and non-transgenic plants are likely to coexist in the field and natural habitats, but their competitive interactions are not well understood.MethodsField experiments were conducted in an agricultural ecosystem with insecticide spraying and a natural ecosystem, using Bt-transgenic rice (Oryza sativa) and its non-transgenic counterpart in pure and mixed stands with a replacement series.ResultsInsect damage and competition significantly decreased plant growth and reproduction under the coexistence of transgenic and conventional rice. Insect-resistant transgenic rice was not competitively superior to its counterpart under different densities in both agricultural and natural ecosystems, irrespective of insect infection. Fitness cost due to Bt-transgene expression occurred only in an agroecosystem, where the population yield decreased with increasing percentage of transgenic rice. The population yield fluctuated in a natural ecosystem, with slight differences among pure and mixed stands under plant competition or insect pressure. The presence of Chilo suppressalis infection increased the number of non-target insects.ConclusionsPlant growth and reproduction patterns, relative competition ability and population yield indicate that Bt-transgenic and non-transgenic rice can coexist in agroecosystems, whereas in more natural habitats, transgenic rice is likely to outcompete non-transgenic rice.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Liu et al.; licensee BioMed Central. 2015