Gene flow from transgenic oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) to cruciferous weeds under mentor pollen inducement

The alien gene flow between genetically modified glyphosate-resistant rapeseed variety Q3 (Brassica napus L.) and four cruciferous weeds was studied under mentor pollen inducement. The results showed that when Thlaspi arvense L., Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medic, Cardamine hirsute L. and Rorippa palustris (L.) Besser were pollinated with mentor pollen, the mixed Q3 and the weed, pollen grains aggregated largely and germinated quickly, and the numbers of pollen tubes penetrating into the style and the ovary were greatly increased as compared with corresponding self-pollination groups. Twenty four to forty eight hours after pollination, several pollen tubes were observed to penetrate into the ovule via micropyle in each mentor combination. However, when the mentor progenies were analyzed by PCR, all of them showed negative for the Q3 herbicide-resistant gene. Collectively, these results indicated that crossing between T. arvense, C. bursa-pastoris, C. hirsuta, R. palustris (as female) and Q3 (as male) was highly incompatible and the herbicide-resistant gene could not flow from Q3 to these four weeds.