Contamination of edible double-low oilseed rape crops via pollen transfer from the high erucic cultivars

Bilsborrow, P.E.; Evans, E.J.; Bowman, J.; Bland, B.F.

Contamination of edible double-low oilseed rape crops via pollen transfer from the high erucic cultivars

1998

Bilsborrow, P.E. | Evans, E.J. | Bowman, J. | Bland, B.F.

Contamination of double-low oilseed crops with pollen from high erucic varieties grown primarily on set-aside land may result in erucic acid concentrations above 2% resulting in its rejection as a double-low edible oilseed. An analysis of cross contamination between high and low erucic acid crops was carried out in field trials at Cockle Park, and Purley Farm, Essex in the 1992-1993 and 1993-1994 seasons. Contamination was generally low and at random across the test areas. This random fluctuations in erucic acid concentrations appeared to be due to insect activity rather than wind mediated pollen transfer. Roto-rod traps used at Cockle Park to measure pollen flow downwind from isolated blocks of oilseed rape showed that in both seasons a rapid exponential decline in pollen concentration occurred with distance from the source. Results presented in this study would suggest that contamination between edible and high erucic crops does not present a major problem under field scale cultivation.

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