<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Field Testing:</b></p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">BW7 has been field tested in multiple locations in the United States from 2002 to 2005. Data collected from replicated field trials demonstrated that BW7 did not differ significantly from the parental line in terms of vegetative vigour, time to maturity, seed production (yield), disease resistance, and tendency to weediness.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Outcrossing:</b></p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i>) is primarily a self-pollinating plant. Gene transfer can occur by wind-mediated pollination to other <i>T. aestivum</i> plants, however outcrossing rates are usually low (&lt;10%). Factors that influence the success of cross-pollination in wheat are: the synchronicity of flowering among the plants; population density; genotype; and the viability of the pollen, which is influenced by environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity and wind intensity. Under ideal conditions, outcrossing will occur to nearby plants, but not usually beyond 3 m from the source plant. However, given the variability of outcrossing rates and pollen spread among genotypes, an isolation distance of 30 m is required for certified seed production. Introgression of the herbicide tolerant trait of BW7 into unmodified wheat is therefore possible but rates of hybridization would be low. Any herbicide tolerant hybrids thus formed would not be expected to become weedy or invasive; the modified AHAS gene in BW7 does not confer any competitive advantage, other than tolerance to imidazolinone herbicides.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">The potential for introgression of the novel trait into weedy relatives of wheat in Canada and the United States is also very low. Wild species closely related to <i>T. aestivum</i> in the continental United States and Canada are <i>Aegilops cylindria</i> Host (jointed goat grass) and <i>Agropyron repens</i> (L.) Beauv. (quackgrass). Both of these are introduced species, native to Eurasia, and are considered weedy and invasive in Canada and the United States. Jointed goat grass is an annual, found in most of the United States, but not in Canada. It is considered a noxious weed in British Columbia due to the proximity of populations in Washington, Idaho and Montana, but is also found in other states contiguous to Canada, <i>i.e.</i>, North Dakota, Michigan, Ohio and New York. It would not be expected to become established in Canada except in southwestern British Columbia and southwestern Ontario. Hybridization of jointed goat grass with wheat can occur under field conditions and has been reported in Oregon. The hybridization was successful to the first backcross generation with jointed goat grass as the female plant. This has raised concerns of possible introgression of wheat into jointed goat grass populations as introgression of an herbicide tolerant trait from wheat into jointed goatgrass would confer an additional advantage to this weedy species.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Quackgrass is a perennial species found extensively in Canada and the United States. Reports of hybridization between wheat and quackgrass have been reported; however, these have not been successfully reproduced by manual pollination. Due to the doubtful nature of any hybridizations between wheat and quackgrass, gene introgression into quackgrass populations is not expected to occur.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Weediness potential:</b></p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Cultivated wheat is not considered a weed of agriculture. Wheat plants can volunteer in fields following a wheat crop but these can be controlled by cultivation or herbicides. No competitive advantage was conferred to BW7, other than resistance to imidazolinone herbicides. Results from agronomic performance field trials and compositional data show that the physiology of BW7 was not affected by the mutation of the AHAS gene. BW7 is not expected to become weedy or invasive of natural habitats since neither vegetative growth or reproductive characteristics were altered. Wheat volunteers expressing the modified AHAS gene are therefore not expected to become weedier than conventional wheat volunteers. These will not be controlled by imidazolinone herbicides, thereby providing less flexibility in herbicide use.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Secondary and Non-Target Effects:</b></p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">The characterization of the modified AHAS gene identified a single base pair change resulting in a single amino acid change in the modified enzyme, leads to the conclusion that the expression of the modified enzyme does not result in altered toxic or allergenic properties. The modified AHAS enzyme was found to be substantially equivalent to AHAS in nonmodified plants. The AHAS enzyme is not a known toxin, does not confer resistance to agricultural pests, and is naturally present in plants and micro-organisms. It is similar to conventional wheat in terms of vegetative growth and seed production. Based on this information, BW7 would not result in altered impacts on non-target organisms, compared to conventional wheat varieties.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Impact on Biodiversity:</b></p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">BW7 does not possess novel phenotypic characteristics that would extend cultivation beyond the current geographic range of spring wheat. Neither does it possess characteristics that would allow it to grow and compete under soil and climatic conditions for which it is not adapted. The herbicide-tolerant trait, in itself, will not confer to any potential hybrids any competitive advantage other than tolerance to imidazolinone herbicides. BW7 has also been found safe to non-target organisms and does not display altered plant pest potential since agronomic and biological characteristics were found to be within the range of conventional wheat varieties.</p>
