The biology of Brassica napus L. (Canola/Rapeseed).

  • Canada. Interdepartmental Executive Committee on Pest Management.
Date:
1994
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The biology of Brassica napus L. (Canola/Rapeseed). Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/18
    A2.0 Since 1988, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has been regulating the field testing in Canada of agricultural and horticultural crop plants with novel traits (PNT’s). “Plants with novel traits” are defined as a plant variety/genotype possessing characteristics that demonstrate neither familiarity nor substantial equivalence to those present in a distinct, stable population of a cultivated species of seed in Canada and that have been intentionally selected, created or introduced into a population of that species through a specific genetic change. “Familiarity” is defined as the knowledge of the characteristics of a plant species and experience with the use of that plant species in Canada. “Substantial equivalence” is defined as the equivalence of a novel trait within a particular plant species, in terms of its specific use and safety to the environment and human health, to those in that same species, that are in use and generally considered as safe in Canada, based on valid scientific rationale. The PNT’s can either be derived from recombinant DNA technologies or from traditional plant breeding. Regulated field testing is necessary when the PNT’s have traits of concern, i.e., the traits themselves, their presence in a particular plant species market; (2) not considered substantially equivalent to similar, familiar plant types already in use, and regarded as safe. Before PNT’s may be authorized for unconfined release, they must be assessed for environmental safety. Regulatory guidelines entitled: Assessment Criteria for Determining Environmental Safety of Plants with Novel Traits have been developed to define criteria and information requirements that must be considered in the environmental assessment of PNT’s to ensure environmental safety, in the absence of confinement conditions. Scope The present document represents a companion document to the regulatory guidelines Assessment Criteria for Determining Environmental Safety of Plants with Novel Traits. It is intended to provide background information on the biology of Brassica napus (L.), its centres of origin, its related species and the potential for gene introgression from Brassica napus into relatives, and details of the life forms with which it interacts. Such species-specific information will serve as a guide for addressing some information requirements of Part D of the regulatory guidelines. Specifically, it will be used to determine whether there are significantly different/altered interactions with — other life forms, resulting from the PNT’s novel gene products, which could potentially cause the PNT to become a weed of agriculture, become invasive of natural habitats, or be otherwise harmful to the environment.
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3