Monitoring the Occurrence of Genetically Modified Soybean and Maize around Cultivated Fields and at a Grain Receiving Port in Korea

Increased imports of genetically modified (GM) soybean and maize might cause genetic contamination of those crops that are conventionally bred, as well as wild soybeans within Korea. Leaves of maize and both cultivated and wild soybeans were sampled in and near rural fields to detect the presence of transgenes. Roadsides around a major grain port in Incheon were also surveyed to monitor the occurrence of incoming GM soybean and maize. The amplificability of DNA extracted from the collected samples was determined by PCR using soybean- or maize-specific primers: lectin and zein genes, respectively.