Safety assessment of transgenic plums and grapevines expressing viral coat protein genes: new insights into real environmental impact of perennial plants engineered for virus resistance.

These studies were carried out over 3.5 years (2003 to 2006) to provide realistic insights into the significance of recombination in transgenic plants expressing viral genes and the stability of engineered virus resistance under field conditions. We summarize here our major findings and discuss their relevance in regard to the safe use of transgenic crops expressing viral genes for disease management. . It is expected that they will assist national and international regulatory authorities in making scientifically based decisione for the release of virus-resistant transgenic crops.