Transgenic Fruit Crops in Europe - Transgenic Horticultural Crops: Challenges and Opportunities - page 140

FIGURE 5.6 ( See color insert. ). BpMADS4 . transgenic. apple. seedling..First.lowers. were.
obtained.approximately.4.months.after.seed.planting..The.seedling.was.obtained.after.cross-
ing.a.F 1 .plant.of.the.cross.T1190.( BpMADS4 .transgenic.line.of.the.apple.cv..'Pinova',.pub-
lished.by.Flachowsky.et.al. 43 ). by. M. fusca . (ire.blight-resistant. apple. wild.species). and. the.
scab-resistant.apple.cv..'Topaz'.
apices.have.been.tested.to.determine.the.best.starting.material.for.each.species..
However,.the.most.effective.and.reproducible.method.for.plant.regeneration.has.
remained. through. adventitious. shoot. formation. and. in. most. cases. leaves. from.
in.vitro.shoots.are.used.for.transformation..The.selection.of.transgenic.regener-
ants.was.and.is.still.done.by.using.selectable.marker.genes.conferring.resistance.
to. selective. chemical. agents,. such. as. antibiotics. or.herbicides.. The. presence.of.
marker.gene.sequences.in.GM.crops.has.been.critically.discussed.in.recent.years..
Public. opinion. in. Europe. demands. that. genetically. engineered. plants. released.
into.the.environment.be.marker-free.or.at.least.with.marker.genes.not.conferring.
resistance.to.antibiotics.used.for.medical.or.veterinary.purposes..This.and.other.
demands.are.considered.in.the.2001.passed.European.Union.directive.2001/18/EC..
The.directive.2001/18/EC.forbids.the.release.of.GM.crops.containing.antibiotic.
marker. genes. “which. may. have. adverse. effects. on. human. health. and. the. envi-
ronment”. beginning. in. December. 2008.. Although. the. European. Food. Safety.
Authority. (EFSA). stated. in. 2004. and. again. in. 2007. that. “the. use. of. the. nptII .
gene.as.selectable.marker.in.GM.plants.does.not.pose.a.risk.to.human.or.animal.