Abstract
Although improved crop yields can be engineered by genetically modifying plants, there is ecological concern over whether these plants are likely to persist in the wild in the event of dispersal from their cultivated habitat. Here we present the results of a long-term study of the performance of transgenic crops in natural habitats. Four different crops (oilseed rape, potato, maize and sugar beet) were grown in 12 different habitats and monitored over a period of 10 years. In no case were the genetically modified plants found to be more invasive or more persistent than their conventional counterparts.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Crawley, M. J., Hails, R. S., Rees, M., Kohn, D. & Buxton, J. Nature 363, 620–623 (1993).
Hails, R. S., Rees, M., Kohn, D. D. & Crawley, M. J. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 265, 1–7 (1997).
Brown, S. L. in Environmental Impact of Genetically Modified Crops (eds Amijee, F., Gliddon, C. J. & Gray, A. J.) 132–150 (Res. Rep. no. 10, DETR, London, 1999).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Supplementary information
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Crawley, M., Brown, S., Hails, R. et al. Transgenic crops in natural habitats. Nature 409, 682–683 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35055621
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35055621
This article is cited by
-
Advantages, risks and legal perspectives of GMOs in 2020s
Plant Biotechnology Reports (2021)
-
Scientific mistakes from the agri-food biotech critics
Life Sciences, Society and Policy (2018)
-
Exploratory study on the presence of GM oilseed rape near German oil mills
Environmental Science and Pollution Research (2016)
-
Ex-post analysis of landraces sympatric to a commercial variety in the center of origin of the potato failed to detect gene flow
Transgenic Research (2015)
-
Introduction to ISBGMO12: biosafety research past, present and future
Transgenic Research (2014)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.