Environmental Risk Assessment for Biotechnology-Derived Insect-Protected Soybean (Glycine max) Under Low Environmental Exposure (Import) to Wild Soybean (Glycine soja) in Japan.

Wild soybean (Glycine soja) and domesticated soybean (Glycine max) are genetically and phenotypically distinct from one another but can cross at low frequency.  Glycine soja occurs primarily in ruderal habitats (e.g. roadsides) in Russia, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and China.  As part of an environmental risk assessment of biotechnology-derived soybean with protection against certain Lepidopteran pests, a survey of insect feeding on natural G. soja populations was conducted and an experiment conducted to evaluate defoliation on G. soja pod and seed production.

Surveys of natural G. soja populations indicated that the highest levels of defoliation were caused by Orthopterans (e.g. grasshopper) and Coleopterans (e.g. beetle) and the least by Lepidopterans.

Results from an experiment with different levels of G. soja defoliation (0%, 10%, 25%, 50% and 100%) during flowering demonstrated that no significant reduction in pod or seed number occurred up to 50% defoliation.

If the insect protection trait were transferred to G. soja the potential impact would be limited, because defoliation by Lepidopteran insect on natural populations of G. soja was very low and below levels that would reduce pod and seed production.  In addition, exposure to the environment from biotechnology-derived soybeans is limited because they are not cultivated in Japan.  Thus, the exposure to the environment is low and, if it were to occur, the consequence of trait transfer to G. soja is limited.  Therefore, the risk to the environment from an insect protected soybean in Japan is negligible.