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

<p style="text-align: justify;">The canola line HCN28 (derived from T45) was field tested in Canada (1993 - 1995), in the United States (1996, 1997) and in Chile, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Agronomic characteristics such as cotyledon width, pod and leaf length, flowering period, time to maturity, plant height, lodging score, seed yield and thousand seed weight were compared to unmodified canola. Stress adaptation was evaluated, including resistance to major <i>B. napus</i> pests such as white rust (<i>Albugo candida</i>) and blackleg (<i>Leptosphaeria maculens</i>) and determined to fall within the ranges currently displayed by commercial varieties. The only significant difference between HCN28 canola and the parental non-transformed variety was its resistance to glufosinate ammonium. Overall the field data reports demonstrated that canola HCN28 has no potential to pose a plant pest risk.</p>

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

<p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Brassica napus</i> plants, including HCN28, are known to outcross up to 30% with other plants of the same species. Potential gene movement may occur at low levels with plants of related species such as <i>B. rapa</i> and <i>B. juncea</i> and at extremely low levels with <i>B. carinata</i>, <i>B. nigra</i>, <i>Diplotaxis muralis</i>, <i>Raphanus raphanistrum</i>, and <i>Erucastrum gallicum</i>. Previous studies showed that introgression of the herbicide tolerance gene was most likely to occur with <i>B. rapa</i>.<br />
Incorporation of the <i>pat</i> gene was not expected to confer an ecological advantage to potential hybrid offspring. If glufosinate ammonium-tolerant individuals arose through interspecific or intergeneric hybridization, the novel traits would confer no competitive advantage to these plants unless challenged by glufosinate ammonium. This may occur in managed ecosystems where glufosinate ammonium was applied for broad spectrum weed control, or when used to control weeds in plant varieties developed for tolerance to Liberty&reg;. In the event that a glufosinate ammonium tolerant <i>B. napus</i> survived, these herbicide-tolerant individuals would be easily controlled using mechanical and other available chemical means. The use of good crop management practices should prevent the occurrence of persistent resistant hybrids. It was concluded that gene flow from the transgenic line HCN28 to canola relatives was possible, but would not result in increased weediness or invasiveness of these relatives.</p>

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

<p style="text-align: justify;">It was determined that genetically modified canola line HCN28 did not have a significant adverse impact on organisms beneficial to plants or agriculture, nontarget organisms, and was not expected to impact on threatened or endangered species. The PAT enzyme responsible for glufosinate ammonium tolerance is ubiquitous in nature and there have been no adverse effects, toxic or allergenic, ever reported.</p>

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

<p style="text-align: justify;">HCN28 has no novel phenotypic characteristics which would extend its use beyond the current geographic range of canola production. Since outcross species are only found in disturbed habitats, transfer of novel traits would not impact unmanaged environments. It was concluded that the potential impact on biodiversity of HCN28 was equivalent to that of currently commercialized canola lines.</p>
