Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the most important non-grain food crop in the world, ranking 3rd in terms of total production with over 365 million tonnes per year (FAOSTAT, 2013), after rice and wheat. It is grown in around 150 countries spread across both temperate and tropical regions and at elevations from sea level to…

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Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a plant belonging to the family of grasses, Gramineae (Poaceae). It is one of the three major food crops of the world and forms the staple diet of about half of the world’s population. The global production of rice has been estimated to be at the level of 650 million tones and the…

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H. brasiliensisis a sturdy, quick-growing, erect tree with a straight trunk and an open leafy crown. The bark is usually grey and fairly smooth. The bark of the trunk is the part from where rubber is harvested (Fig.1). In the wild, the trees may grow to over 40 m with a life span of more than 100 years. However, cultivated plants…

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Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is a plant belonging to the family of grasses (Poaceae). Sorghum, a C4 grass that diverged from maize around 15 million years ago, is the fifth most important cereal grown worldwide (Dogget,1988). Sorghum is well adapted to tropical and subtropical climates, but the greater part of the area of the crop falls in drought-prone, semi-arid tropical regions of…

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Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an important vegetable crop. At present, about 160 million tonnes of fresh tomatoes are produced from 4.7 million ha (FAOSTAT, 2011).Tomatoes are native to South America, but were brought to Europe sometime in the 15th century, where they soon became popular and were exported around the world. For a long time tomatoes were known by the name Lycopersicon…

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The present document is a companion document to the Dir94-08. It is intended to provide background information on the biology of Brassica juncea, its centres of origin, its related species and the potential for gene introgression from Brassica juncea into relatives, and details of the life forms with which it may interact. Attachments:  Biology_of_Brassica_juncea_Ca

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The present document represents a companion document to the Directive 9408 (Dir94-08), entitled “Directive 9408 (Dir94-08) Assessment Criteria for Determining Environmental Safety of  Plants with Novel Traits”. It is intended to provide background information on the biology of Brassica napus (L.), its centres of origin, its related species and the potential for gene introgression from B. napus into relatives, and details of the life forms with…

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The present document represents a companion document to Dir94-08. It is intended to provide background information on the biology of Brassica rapa L., its centres of origin and related species. Emphasis has been placed on detailing potential hybridization events between B. rapa and its close relatives. Discussion is limited to hybridization events that can occur in nature and result in fertile offspring.…

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This document is intended to provide background information on the biology of Camelina sativa, its identity, geographical distribution, reproductive biology, related species, the potential for gene introgression from C. sativa into relatives, and details of the life forms with which it interacts. Attachments:  Biology_of_Camelina_sativa_Ca

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The present document is a companion document to Dir94-08. It is intended to provide background information on the biology of Glycine max (L.) Merrill, its centres of origin, its related species and the potential for gene introgression from G. max into relatives, and details of the life forms with which it may interact. Attachments:  Biology_of_Glycine_max_Ca

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