Authorized as of October 19, 2023
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has evaluated information submitted by Mustard 21 Canada Inc. concerning the herbicide-tolerant yellow mustard line YM-ALS-205. Foods and feeds derived from this line are not novel. This line was evaluated using the CFIA's streamlined process for herbicide tolerant plants that do not contain foreign DNA. The CFIA has determined that this plant with a novel trait (PNT) does not present altered environmental risk when compared to yellow mustard varieties currently grown in Canada when a herbicide tolerance management plan is implemented. Yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 is therefore authorized as of October 19, 2023, subject to the provisions outlined in this document.
On this page
- 1. Identification of the modified plant
- 2. Considerations for the herbicide tolerance management plan review
- 3. New information requirements
- 4. Regulatory decision on environmental release
- 5. Contact us
1. Identification of the modified plant
Designation or identifier: Yellow mustard YM-ALS-205
Applicant: Mustard 21 Canada Inc.
Plant species: Yellow mustard (Sinapis alba L.)
Novel herbicide tolerance trait: Tolerance to imidazolinone and sulfonylurea herbicides. A cytosine-to-thymine mutation in the gene encoding acetolactate synthase (ALS) results in an alanine-to-valine substitution at amino acid residue 205. This change interferes with the ALS protein binding with Group 2 imidazolinone and sulfonylurea herbicides, enabling the plant to survive in the presence of these herbicides.
Trait introduction method: Chemical mutagenesis using ethyl methanesulfonate
Intended end use: Yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 is intended to be grown for human food use.
Intended area of cultivation: Yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 is intended to be grown within the normal production area for yellow mustard in Canada.
2. Criteria for evaluating the proposed environmental release
The CFIA has reviewed information provided by Mustard 21 Canada Inc., as described in Directive 94-08 (Dir94-08) – Assessment Criteria for Determining Environmental Safety of Plants with Novel Traits. The CFIA has considered:
- Potential for the herbicide-tolerant plant to become a weed of agriculture or be invasive of natural habitats
- More specifically: the changes in usual agronomic practices that may arise from the need to control volunteer plants with novel herbicide tolerances
- Potential for gene flow from the herbicide-tolerant plant to sexually compatible plants whose hybrid offspring may become more weedy or more invasive
- Potential impact of the herbicide-tolerant plant on biodiversity
- More specifically: the potential that continued application of the same herbicide in subsequent rotations may lead to development of herbicide-tolerant weed populations
To address these issues, Mustard 21 Canada Inc. submitted a herbicide tolerance management plan to the CFIA. The CFIA used information on the biology of mustard and information about the novel herbicide tolerance trait to evaluate the suitability of this herbicide tolerance management plan, as described in the following sections.
Potential for yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 to become a weed of agriculture or be invasive of natural habitats
As indicated in BIO2022-01 – The Biology of Sinapis alba L. (mustard), S. alba is not invasive of natural habitats in Canada. S. alba is primarily found in agricultural environments.
S. alba plants can grow as volunteers in cultivated fields in the seasons following a S. alba crop, but they are readily eliminated by soil cultivation or the use of herbicides. The CFIA considered the changes in usual agronomic practices for volunteer yellow mustard in Canada that may arise from growing mustard YM-ALS-205. Yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 plants growing as volunteers will not be controlled by imidazolinone or sulfonylurea herbicides. However, control of yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 as a volunteer weed in subsequent crops or in fallow ground can be achieved by the use of other classes of herbicides or by mechanical means.
Mustard 21 Canada Inc.'s herbicide tolerance management plan includes adequate strategies to control mustard YM-ALS-205 volunteers. These strategies include practices such as growing yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 in a multi-year rotation plan with other crops and using herbicides from different chemical classes to control YM-ALS-205 volunteers before the flowering stage.
The CFIA has therefore concluded that yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 has no altered weediness potential in Canada compared to currently grown yellow mustard varieties, when a herbicide tolerance management plan is implemented.
Potential for gene flow from yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 to sexually compatible plants whose hybrid offspring may become more weedy or more invasive
S. alba is not native to North America. S. alba predominantly occurs as a crop in cultivated fields, and may also be found in disturbed prairies, roadsides, and disturbed areas. In Canada, S. alba is not considered to be an abundant or problematic weed and no records of substantial populations in natural environments were found. Therefore, the potential risk of gene flow to wild populations of S. alba is negligible. For more information, see BIO2022-01 – The Biology of Sinapis alba L. (mustard).
Many crop species of the Brassicaceae family have been tested for compatibility with S. alba. Only one introgression has been demonstrated with Brassica napus, and this required human intervention. The possibility of introgression from S. alba to B. napus under natural conditions is low. Many other species, including weeds from the Brassicaceae family that are found in Canada, have not been tested for compatibility with S. alba. No reports of naturally occurring gene flow between S. alba and other crops, weeds, or wild species were found in the literature.
If imidazolinone and sulfonylurea-tolerant individuals arose through interspecific hybridization with yellow mustard YM-ALS-205, the novel trait would confer no competitive advantage to these plants unless challenged by imidazolinone or sulfonylurea herbicides. This would only occur in managed ecosystems where imidazolinone or sulfonylurea herbicides are used for weed control. These hybrid plants, should they arise, could potentially result in the loss of imidazolinone and sulfonylurea herbicides as a control tool. However these plants could be controlled using herbicides other than imidazolinone or sulfonylurea, or by mechanical means. Mustard 21 Canada Inc.'s herbicide tolerance management plan for yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 contains adequate recommendations to minimize and manage outcrossing to related species. These recommendations include practices such as field scouting for any potential hybrid offspring or herbicide resistance in related species and a mechanism to report unexpected resistance to Mustard 21 Canada Inc. The herbicide tolerance management plan also provides recommendations for controlling any observed hybrid offspring or herbicide resistance in related species.
The CFIA has concluded that gene flow from yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 to sexually compatible species remains hypothetical, but would not result in increased weediness or invasiveness of the resulting progeny when a herbicide tolerance management plan is implemented.
Potential impact of yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 on biodiversity
The CFIA considered the potential that continued application of imidazolinone or sulfonylurea herbicides in subsequent crop rotations may lead to development of herbicide resistant weed populations.
Mustard 21 Canada Inc.'s herbicide tolerance management plan for yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 contains adequate recommendations to minimize and manage the development of Group-2 herbicide resistant weed populations. These recommendations include strategies such as avoiding the continuous use of group 2 herbicides and following recommended crop rotation practices.
The CFIA has therefore concluded that the potential impact on biodiversity of yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 is unlikely to be different from that of the yellow mustard varieties that are currently grown in Canada, when a herbicide tolerance management plan is implemented.
3. New information requirements
If at any time, Mustard 21 Canada Inc. becomes aware of any new information regarding risk to the environment or human health, which could result from the unconfined environmental release of yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 or lines derived from it, Mustard 21 Canada Inc. is required to immediately provide such information to the CFIA. On the basis of such new information, the CFIA will re-evaluate the potential impact of yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 on the environment and human health and may re-evaluate its decision with respect to the unconfined environmental release authorization of yellow mustard YM-ALS-205.
4. Regulatory decision on environmental release
Based on the review of the information submitted by Mustard 21 Canada Inc. and input from other relevant scientific sources, the CFIA has concluded that the unconfined environmental release of yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 does not present altered environmental risk when compared to yellow mustard varieties that are currently grown in Canada when a suitable herbicide tolerance management plan is implemented.
Mustard 21 Canada Inc.'s herbicide tolerance management plan was determined to be satisfactory when evaluated by the CFIA. As outlined in the plan, Mustard 21 Canada Inc. will make this herbicide tolerance management plan readily available to growers and agronomists involved in the cultivation of mustard YM-ALS-205 to promote careful management practices. Mustard 21 Canada Inc. will provide an efficient mechanism for growers to report agronomic problems to the company, which will facilitate the ongoing monitoring of yellow mustard YM-ALS-205. Mustard 21 Canada Inc. will also monitor grower implementation to determine the effectiveness of the herbicide tolerance management plan and make any changes to the plan as appropriate.
Unconfined release into the environment of yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 is therefore authorized by the CFIA as of October 19, 2023.
Lines derived from the authorized line
Any yellow mustard lines derived from yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 may also be released into the environment, provided that:
- no inter-specific crosses are performed,
- the intended uses are similar, and
- it is known based on characterization that these plants do not display any additional novel traits and are substantially equivalent to yellow mustard varieties that are currently grown in Canada, in terms of their potential environmental impact,
Cultivation of lines derived from yellow mustard line YM-ALS-205 is subject to herbicide tolerance management requirements.
Other regulatory requirements
Yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 is subject to the same phytosanitary import requirements as unmodified yellow mustard varieties. Yellow mustard YM-ALS-205 is required to meet the requirements of other Canadian legislation as applicable, including but not limited to, the Food & Drugs Act, the Feeds Act, and the Pest Control Products Act.
5. Contact us
For more information on this decision, please contact the CFIA's Plant Biosafety Office.