Dispersal of viable row-crop seeds of commercial agriculture by farmland birds: implication for genetically modified crops

Cummings, John L.; Handley, Levis W.; MacBryde, Bruce; Tupper, Shelagh K.; Werner, Scott J.; Byram, Zachary J.

doi:10.1051/ebr:2008021

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…When it was not possible to assign a morphotype to species level with certainty, genus or family level was reported. We did not include rice grains (Oryza sativa) as seeds dispersed because they were unlikely to be viable (Cummings et al, 2008…”

Section: Sample Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Endozoochory of the same community of plants lacking fleshy fruits by storks and gulls

Martín‐Vélez

Lovas‐Kiss

Sánchez

et al. 2020

J Vegetation Science

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Aims: Research into the dispersal of plants lacking a fleshy fruit by avian endozoochory remains limited, particularly regarding the different roles of specific vectors in the same habitat. Methods: We compared plants dispersed by endozoochory between two migratory waterbirds differing in body size: the lesser black-backed gull Larus fuscus, and the white stork Ciconia ciconia. We collected faeces and pellets from roosting flocks on dykes in rice fields in Doñana, SW Spain, and extracted intact seeds. Results: We recovered 424 intact seeds from excreta, representing 21 plant taxa, 11 of which germinated under laboratory conditions. Eight plant species are considered weeds, four of them as alien species, and only two have a fleshy fruit. Seed abundance and species richness per sample did not differ between storks and gulls. Toadrush (Juncus bufonius) was the dominant species, accounting for 49% of seeds recovered. PERMANOVA and mvabund analyses revealed no differences in the proportions of each plant species dispersed by the two vectors, and seasonal variation in abundance was absent. Overall, germinability was 19%, and declined with increasing delay between sample collection and processing. Transects along dykes identified 52 plant taxa, only 18 of which were recorded in excreta. Conclusions: Overlap in the communities of non-fleshy-fruited plants dispersed by two unrelated birds of different size suggests that waterbird plant dispersal networks are different from frugivore networks. Unlike for frugivores, decoupling between seed production and ingestion reduces seasonal variation in endozoochory rates. For Juncus bufonius and other plants, these avian vectors provide maximum dispersal distances several orders of magnitude greater than predicted from their dispersal syndromes. Endozoochory by migratory waterbirds has major implications for plant distributions in a rapidly changing world, and more research is required before we can predict which plants disperse regularly via this mechanism.

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Section: Sample Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Endozoochory of the same community of plants lacking fleshy fruits by storks and gulls

Martín‐Vélez

Lovas‐Kiss

Sánchez

et al. 2020

J Vegetation Science

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“…For some larger animals such as cattle, foraging or grazing is minimal due to the spiny nature of mature safflower plants (Cummings et al, 2008) but sheep and goats are not irritated by the spines. Feral pigs or boars are destructive and difficult to exclude from fields (Rao et al, 2015).…”

Section: Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Safflower seed dispersal by several bird species (blackbirds, mallard ducks, pigeons and pheasants) was examined and it was observed that seed did not pass through the digestive tract but did remain viable in the oesophagus and gizzard regions for several hours. The safflower seed viability was measured as a percentage of germination, where the germination rate was in the range of 16-30% and 4-29% for seed collected from the oesophagus and gizzards of birds respectively (Cummings et al, 2008). A few seeds were also transported externally on soil attached to feet or legs of pheasants and pigeons (Cummings et al, 2008;Vazačová and Münzbergová, 2013).…”

Section: Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biology of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius)

2022

Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology

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From their first commercialisation in the mid-1990s, genetically engineered crops (also known as "transgenic" or "genetically modified" plants) have been approved for commercial release in an increasing number of countries, for planting, entering in the composition of foods and feeds, or use in industrial processing. The majority of these productions are for soybean, maize, cotton and rapeseed (canola) bearing pest resistance and herbicide tolerance traits, aiming to improve yields and reduce the costs of production. Other transgenic crops that are increasingly grown to date comprise lucerne (alfalfa), sugar beet, sugarcane, papaya, safflower, potato, eggplant, as well as pumpkin, apple and pineapple in smaller areas. Other traits are increasingly introduced in engineered plants, adapting them to biotic or abiotic stress, such as resistance to drought or tolerance to salt in the growing environment, or changing a characteristic, e.g. modified oil content, reduced lignin content, non-browning or nutritional quality (biofortification). Thus, transgenic crops, where adopted and available on the market, enlarge possibilities for farmers, industry and consumers. They can play a part in addressing global concerns such as the rising need for food and feed in the growing population context or the necessary adaptation of agriculture for better resilience to climate change.Modern biotechnologies are applied to plants (crops, flowers and trees) but also animals and micro-organisms. The safety of the resulting genetically engineered organisms, when released in the environment for their use in agriculture, forestry, fishery, the food and feed industry, biofuel production or other applications, represents a challenging issue. A scientifically sound approach to their risk assessment should inform biosafety regulators and support national decisions regarding their possible market release. Genetically engineered products are rigorously assessed by their developers during their elaboration and by governments when ready for commercial use, to ensure high safety standards for the environment, human food and animal feed. Such assessments are considered essential for healthy and sustainable agriculture, industry and trade.In 2019, according to the annual report of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, the five main producers of genetically engineered crops were the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Canada and India (listed by decreasing area) covering a combined 170 million hectares representing more than 90% of the global transgenic crop area. Among the 29 countries having grown genetically engineered crops in that year, 9 of them were OECD countries, listed by decreasing area as follows: the

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“…Winter flooding not only enhances degradation of seeds on the soil surface (Fogliatto et al 2011;Singh et al 2016a) but also attracts birds and encourages predation of freshly deposited rice (weedy or not) seeds. Intact rice seeds are not passed through the feces of ducks, and there is little chance of birds spreading viable rice seeds (Cummings et al 2008). Thus, winter flooding is an effective cultural strategy to reduce a weedy rice infestation.…”

Section: Overview Of Rice Farmingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weedy rice update in Arkansas, USA, and adjacent locales

et al. 2021

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Weedy rice (Oryza sativa L.) is among the most problematic weeds in rice (Oryza sativa L.) production. The commercialization of herbicide-resistant (HR) rice nearly two decades ago provided an effective tool to manage weedy rice; however, resistance evolution and volunteer HR hybrid rice kept weedy rice at the forefront of rice weed control needs. This research aimed to assess the prevalence and severity of weedy rice infestations, identify production practices that may have contributed to an increase in weedy rice, and identify control strategies that may still be effective on weedy rice across Arkansas and adjacent US mid-south locales. Two questionnaires, one for rice growers and consultants and one for County Extension Agents (CEAs), were distributed through e-mail and physical copies in 2020. Thirty-three respondents returned the rice grower (25) and consultant (8) survey representing 26 and seven counties in Arkansas and the Bootheel Missouri area, respectively, as well as four parishes in northeast Louisiana. Eighteen respondents returned the CEA survey. Respondents ranked weedy rice the third most problematic weed in rice, behind Echinochloa spp. and Cyperus spp. The most common infestation levels reported in 78% of fields was less than 12 m−2. Crop rotation (64% growers/consultants, 50% CEAs) and HR rice technology (27% growers/consultants, 50% CEAs) were the top-two most effective methods for weedy rice management, respectively. Tillage and crop rotation practices significantly influenced weedy rice infestation. Rice-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation had the lowest weedy rice infestation compared to monoculture rice and other crop rotation practices. Crop rotation was not practiced on 26% of reported fields, primarily due to poor drainage. The imidazolinone (IMI)-resistant rice technology was still effective (>70% control) in 60% of fields, but quizalofop-resistant rice is needed to control IMI-resistant weedy rice. Overall, weedy rice remains a challenging weed in rice production.

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Dispersal of viable row-crop seeds of commercial agriculture by farmland birds: implication for genetically modified crops

Cited by 7 publications

References 54 publications

Endozoochory of the same community of plants lacking fleshy fruits by storks and gulls

Endozoochory of the same community of plants lacking fleshy fruits by storks and gulls

Biology of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius)

Weedy rice update in Arkansas, USA, and adjacent locales

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