) Are there any risks to the environment from PRSV-resistant papaya?
In order to asses the impact PRSV-resistant papaya may have on the environment, the following findings (determinations) were required by US regulatory agencies:
- the introduced genes, their products, and the added regulatory sequences controlling gene expression do not present a plant pest risk
- the transgenic organism should not increase the likelihood of new plant viruses (resistance buildup) emerging
- the transgenic organism is no more likely to become a weed than the non-transgenic forms
- out-crossing and hybridization between the transgenic organism and its relatives are unlikely to produce hybrids that would persist in the environment and become weeds
- the transgenic organism should not be harmful to beneficial organisms including bees
- the transgenic organism should not cause damage to processed agricultural commodities
After a thorough assessment addressing the points above, it was concluded that the PRSV- resistant papaya developed in Hawaii did not pose a direct or indirect plant pest risk and did not have environmental impacts any different from that of non-transgenic papaya.