DEVELOPING THE BASELINE UNDERSTANDING OF THE SEXUAL REPRODUCTION OF SUGARCANE IN FARMERS' FIELDS

ABOUT A DECADE ago, the development of genetically modified sugarcane was moving from the experiments of academic and research organisations to becoming the interest of major life-science companies. Herbicide tolerant sugarbeet was close to market in the U.S. and serious consideration was being given to the development of GM sugarcane with the aim of commercialisation. While there has been continued commercial interest in the technical development of GM sugarcanes, the knowledge to support evaluation during the regulatory process was lacking. The aim of this paper is to summarise the work we have conducted to date on identifying the potential paths to harm for GM crops and the data collected to understand if these paths exist for sugarcane and if so their likelihood. We then focus the paper on two areas, presenting new data to help interpret and extend our understanding of the limits to germination of sugarcane seed in the environment and highlight one area of further study that might be required if traits that have the potential to confer a competitive advantage are developed for release in Australia.