AN IDENTITY PRESERVATION SYSTEM FOR TRANSGENIC WHEAT AND TRITICALE

摘要

The growing controversy over GM/novel-trait crops and food products that possess novel industrial or nutritional traits has resulted in an increased need for technologies for rapid and reliable identification of GM/novel-trait crops at the various stages of production and processing. An Identity Preservation (IP) system is designed to provide assurances that the desired traits are present (or absent) in a product from the seed source through all steps of production and delivery. The present invention relates to a process of identity preservation for cereal crops and the grain they produce. We describe herein a visual seed identity system that permits the traceability of particular genetic characteristics of wheat or triticale using a dominant seed colour marker that is visually observable in admixed seed populations. In one example, the invention relates traceability of genetically modified crops or crops that express novel traits and their genetic characteristics in selfing, out-crossing and admixture situations with traditional, non-genetically modified or non-novel trait crops. In a preferred embodiment, the method includes introducing the Bperu and/or C1 regulatory genes under the control of a seed-specific promoter as seed colour markers into wheat or triticale, resulting in seeds with a distinct colour selected from red, blue, purple, grey, brown and black.