Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Results
Under open field cultivation conditions, two tomato lines (UC 82) transgen-
ic for the DefH9-RI-iaaM gene produced parthenocarpic fruits. DefH9-RI-
iaaM fruits were either seedless or contained very few seeds. GM fruit quality,
with the exception of a higher β -carotene level, did not show any difference,
neither technological (color, firmness, dry matter, °Brix, pH) nor chemical
(titratable acidity, organic acids, lycopene, tomatine, total polyphenols and
antioxidant capacity - TEAC), when compared to that of fruits from con-
trol line. Highly significant differences in quality traits exist between the to-
mato F1 commercial hybrid Allflesh and the three UC 82 genotypes tested,
regardless of whether or not they are GM. Total yield per plant did not differ
between GM and parental line UC 82. Fruit number was increased in GM
lines, and GM fruit weight was decreased.
Conclusion
The use in the diet of fruits from a new line or variety introduces much great-
er changes than the consumption of GM fruits in comparison to its genet-
ic background. Parthenocarpic fruits, produced under open field conditions,
contained 10-fold less seeds than control fruits. Thus parthenocarpy caused by
DefH9-RI-iaaM gene represents also a tool for mitigating GM seeds disper-
sal in the environment.
background
The debate on genetically modified (GM) crop plants has been focused on two
main uncertainties: 1) whether a GM plant differs from its non-GM progeni-
tors only in the introduced trait of interest, 2) whether a GM plant is safe in the
environment with respect to gene flow and seed dispersal. To address these ques-
tions, we have chosen parthenocarpy, the development of the fruit in absence of
fertilization, to evaluate the equivalence of GM and non-GM fruit and to evalu-
ate the advantages of parthenocarpy produced by genetic engineering compared
to traditional methods. In this work, we present an analysis of parthenocarpic
tomato fruit obtained from field-grown GM plants to address some aspects of the
equivalence of GM fruit.
The trait of parthenocarpy is particularly important for crop plants whose
commercial product is their fruit [1,2]. During flowering, adverse environmental
conditions may either prevent or reduce pollination and fertilization decreasing
fruit yield and quality. Moreover, parthenocarpic fruits are seedless, and seedless-
ness is highly valued by consumers in some fruit (e.g. table grape, citrus, eggplant,
cucumber).
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