Jul 9, 2007 “Coexistence requires greater effort, but is
possible in principle.” Dr Antje Dietz-Pfeilstetter , Institute
for Plant Virology, Microbiology and Biosafety. Federal
Biological Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (BBA)
Braunschweig (later JKI /Julius Kühn Institute). Coordinator of
the SiFo joint project on potential impacts of the cultivation
of transgenic oilseed rape, 2001-2004 Is GM oilseed rape capable
of coexisting with conventional rape? – Questions put to Antje
Dietz-Pfeilstetter. GMO Safety : In the past few years you have
dealt intensively with the outcrossing behaviour of oilseed
rape. You have conducted on-farm trials lasting several years
and have recently presented a comprehensive literature study. So
how prone to outcrossing is oilseed rape? Antje Dietz-
Pfeilstetter: Oilseed rape is self-fertilising and its
propensity to outcross is relatively low compared with maize.
Even with direct plant contact, cross-fertilisation takes place
only 25 to 30 per cent of the time. In field