Stacking transgenic event DAS-Ø15Ø7-1 alters maize composition less than traditional breeding.

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Biochemistry
• Genetics

Background:

• Assessing the biochemical composition of genetically modified (GM) crops is crucial.
• Understanding the impact of stacking multiple GM events on crop composition is essential for regulatory and breeding purposes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the impact of stacking GM events versus conventional breeding on maize-grain biochemical composition.
• To evaluate the compositional similarity between GM stacks and their non-GM counterparts.

Main Methods:

• Compared seven GM stacks (containing event DAS-Ø15Ø7-1) with matched non-GM near-isogenic hybrids (iso-hybrids).
• Analyzed compositional similarity using scatter plots and calculated a coefficient of identity.
• Compared GM stacks to iso-hybrids and non-GM hybrids to iso-hybrids.

Main Results:

• GM breeding stacks were more compositionally similar to iso-hybrids than were non-GM hybrids.
• Conventional breeding practices had a more substantial influence on maize composition than transgenesis or stacking of GM events.
• The study questions the necessity of unique compositional studies for GM crops, particularly stacked events with prior normal compositional profiles.

Conclusions:

• Transgenesis and stacking of GM events have a minimal impact on maize composition compared to conventional breeding.
• Regulatory requirements for compositional studies of GM crops may need re-evaluation, especially for stacked events.
• Non-GM breeding is a stronger driver of compositional variation in maize than genetic modification.