<p><b>Field Testing</b></p>

<p>The male sterile maize line MS3 has been tested in the major maize growing regions of the United States since 1992 and has been extensively evaluated in the laboratory, greenhouse, and field experiments. Agronomic characteristics such as seed germination, vegetative vigour, time to maturity, time to tassel emergence, time to and process of silk extrusion, male and female fertility, yield parameters, disease and pest susceptibilities were compared to those of non-transgenic <i>Zea mays</i> counterparts and found to be within the normal range for commercial maize hybrids. Overall the field data reports and data on agronomic traits demonstrated that MS3 maize was as safe to grow as any other male sterile maize and had no potential to pose a plant pest risk.</p>

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

<p style="text-align: justify;">Multiple barriers, including sterility of the maize line MS3 ensured that gene introgression from these transformed lines into wild or cultivated sexually-compatible plants was extremely unlikely and such rare events would not increase the weediness potential of any resulting progeny or adversely impact biodiversity.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">In the United States and Canada, where there are few plant species closely-related to maize in the wild, the risk of gene flow to other species is remote. Cultivated maize, <i>Zea mays</i> L. subsp. mays, is sexually compatible with other members of the genus Zea, and to a much lesser degree with members of the genus Tripsacum.</p>

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

<p style="text-align: justify;">It was determined that the relevant introduced trait, male sterility, was unlikely to increase weediness of maize line MS3. There was no indication that the presence of the RNAse enzyme would convert maize into a weed. As well, resistance to glufosinate ammonium would not, in itself, render maize weedy or invasive of natural habitats.<br />
Cultivated maize is unlikely to establish in non-cropped habitats and there have been no reports of maize surviving as a weed. In agriculture, maize volunteers are not uncommon but are easily controlled by mechanical means or by using herbicides, other than glufosinate ammonium. <i>Zea mays</i> is not invasive and is a weak competitor with very limited seed dispersal.</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 maize line MS3 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 has no toxic or pathogenic properties; it has very specific enzymatic activity, does not possess proteolytic or heat stability typical of toxic compounds, and does not affect the metabolism of the plant.</p>

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

<p style="text-align: justify;">Maize line MS3 has no novel phenotypic characteristics that would extend the use beyond the current geographic range of maize production. Since the risk of outcrossing with wild relatives in the United States and Canada is remote, it was determined that the risk of transferring genetic traits from these maize lines to species in unmanaged environments was not a significant concern. It was determined that the relative impact on plant biodiversity was neutral, as was the impact on animal and microbe biodiversity since the introduced genes were not expected to alter the plant&#39;s metabolism and as such, novel compounds would not be produced.</p>
