Effect of genetically modified rice producing resveratrol on the soil microbial communities

Abstract

Cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops has rapidly increased in the global agricultural area. However, cultivation of GM crops in the field evoked the concern of the possibility of unintentional consequences from transgenic plant into environment. In our present study, we have assessed the effects of RS526, GM rice producing resveratrol on the surrounding soil microbial community. The effects of RS526 on the soil microbial community in its field of growth were assessed using a conventional culture technique and culture-independent molecular methods. Three replicate field plots were planted with single GM rice and a non-GM counterpart, Dongjin. The soil microbial communities around these plants were compared using colony counting, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), pyrosequencing analysis, and community-level physiological profiling during the growing periods. The bacterial, fungal, and actinomycetes population densities of the RS526 soils were found to be within the range of those of the non-GM rice cultivar. The DGGE banding patterns of the GM and non-GM soils were also similar, suggesting that the bacterial community structures were stable within a given month and were unaffected by the presence of a GM plant. The data obtained from pyrosequencing analysis showed that the bacterial community distribution at the phylum level were highly similar to DGGE patterns between two tested groups. The substrate utilization pattern of RS526 and Dongjin rice soil was quite similar between each sampling time. These results indicate that soil microbial communities are not significantly affected by the cultivation of RS526 within the experimental time frame.