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

<p style="text-align: justify;">Wheat line AP602CL is not intended for cultivation in Canada and there are no wild Triticum species in North America. There are no known naturally occurring hybrids between wheat and its only weedy relative occurring in Canada, <i>Agropyron repens</i>. Hybridization has been known to occur with <i>Aegilops cylindrica</i> which is present as a weed of winter wheat in the United States, but fertile offspring are not readily produced. Gene flow from AP602CL to wild or weedy species in Canada is very unlikely.</p>

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

<p style="text-align: justify;">Wheat plants can occur as volunteers in years following the cultivation of a wheat crop and are usually eliminated by the use of herbicides or mechanical means. The imadozolinone tolerance trait does not confer competitive advantage to AP602CL. Volunteers persisting after a crop can be controlled with the use of non-imadozolinone herbicides and/or mechanical means. Due to this and the stated intent not to cultivate AP602CL in Canada, there is no altered weed or invasiveness potential of this line compared to conventional varieties.</p>

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

<p style="text-align: justify;">BASF submitted data indicating that the modified AHAS enzyme was substantially equivalent to its unmodified counterpart. The native AHAS enzyme does not confer resistance to agricultural pests and is found in many plants and micro-organisms. It is not a known toxin. The modified AHAS enzyme did not alter the biosynthesis of amino acids. As the line is not intended for cultivation in Canada, there were no expected impacts of AP602CL on non-target organisms due to the modified AHAS enzyme.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">The use of a particular herbicide may provide selection pressure for the development of herbicide tolerant weeds. Agricultural extension officers should promote careful management practices for growers who use AP602CL to minimize the development of imidazolinone-tolerant weed populations.</p>
