Australia
February 25, 2016
If our crop plants persisted in Australian bushland, our remnant vegetation would now be overrun with wheat, barley, canola, lupins, lentils (etc. etc.). Fortunately, this isn’t the case.
Some recent research by Dr Roberto Busi confirmed that transgenic canola (Roundup Ready®) can persist in bushland, but only for three years. After this time, the insects, rabbits, competition and disease got the better of it and it died out.
Road verges, on the other hand, are a different story.
GM canola can persist on road verges largely because they are sprayed with glyphosate, killing all of the competition, allowing glyphosate tolerant canola to survive. This problem can easily be overcome by spraying a herbicide mix.
This research adds some science to an area where previously only speculation existed.
Ever wondered how canola and other crops are genetically modified to tolerate glyphosate?
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