Abstract
The use of transgenic plants in agriculture provides many economic benefits, but it also raises concerns over the potential impact of transgenic plants on the environment. We here examined the impact of transgenic high-methionine soybean ZD91 on the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal community structure in rhizosphere soil. Our investigations based on clone libraries were conducted in field trials at four growth stages of the crops each year from 2012 to 2013. A total of 155 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of AM fungi were identified based on the sequences of small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) genes. There were no significant differences found in AM fungal diversity in rhizosphere soil during the same growth stage between transgenic soybean ZD91 and its non-transgenic parental soybean ZD. In addition, plant growth stage and year had the strongest effect on the AM fungal community structure while the genetically modified (GM) trait studied was the least explanatory factor. In conclusion, we found no indication that transgenic soybean ZD91 cultivation poses a risk for AM fungal communities in agricultural soils.
Highlights
Modern agricultural biotechnology and genetic engineering have allowed the development of crops with improved properties, and global biotech crop hectarage has increased from 1.7 million hectares in 1996 to 181.5 million hectares in 2014 [1]
We found that there were no significant differences in the intensity of root colonization by Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) between ZD and ZD91 within the same growth stage in 2012 and 2013, except pod-setting stage (PS) stage in 2013 (Table 2)
AMF colonization increased over time, and the highest colonization rate was evident at the maturity-setting stage
Summary
Modern agricultural biotechnology and genetic engineering have allowed the development of crops with improved properties, and global biotech crop hectarage has increased from 1.7 million hectares in 1996 to 181.5 million hectares in 2014 [1]. The field application of genetically modified plants (GMPs), might have undesirable consequences on the surrounding ecosystem, such as plant-beneficial soil microorganisms. Non-target organisms could be PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0145001. Impact of GM Soybean on Soil AMF Diversity Non-target organisms could be PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0145001 December 14, 2015
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