This is an article published in September 2005 in Proceedings Royal Society B (2005) 272, 1909-1915 doi:10.1098/rspb.2005.3166, resulting from a project that was in the Sustainable Arable LINK programme funded by Defra, SEERAD, HGCA, BBRO and industrial partners.

Persistence of seeds from crops of conventional and herbicide tolerant
oilseed rape (Brassica napus)

by
Peter J. W. Lutman¹,Kate Berry¹, Roger W. Payne¹, Euan Simpson²,
Jeremy B. Sweet², Gillian T. Champion³, Mike J. May³, Pat Wightman⁴,
Kerr Walker⁴ and Martin Lainsbury⁵
of
¹Rothamsted Research, Harpenden Herts AL5 2JQ, UK
²NIAB, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0LE, UK
³Broom's Barn Research Station, Higham, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 6NP, UK
⁴The Scottish Agricultural College, Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
⁵The Arable Group, Morley St Botolph, Wymondham, Norfolk NR18 9DB, UK

ABSTRACT

A series of rotation experiments at five sites over four years has explored the environmental and agronomic implications of growing herbicide tolerant oilseed rape and sugar beet.

This paper reports on the population dynamics of volunteer rape (Brassica napus). The experiments compared four winter oilseed rape (WOSR) cultivars: a conventional cultivar (Apex) and three developmental cultivars either genetically modified (GM) to be tolerant to glyphosate or glufosinate, or
conventionally bred to be tolerant to herbicides of the imidazolinone group.  The importance of the persistence of GM rape seeds, in the context of the coexistence of GM and non-GM crops and the role of good management practices that minimize seed persistence, are discussed. 

An e-copy of the article can be seen on the Royal Society's website for a cost of £17.00.

The link to the abstract on their website is:-
http://www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk/(mewbw055tiimt345hiboog55)/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=searcharticlesresults,2,7, then type 'oilseed rape' into the search box.

A copy of the HGCA final report, dated November 2004, called Botanical and rotational implications of genetically modified herbicide tolerance in winter oilseed rape and sugar beet (BRIGHT Project) can be seen at http://www.hgca.com/publink.aspx?id=1805