West Australian scientists say escape of genetically modified herbicide-resistant seeds into native bushland and roadsides can occur, but it is an easily manageable situation.

Publishing in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, the University of Western Australia's Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative's Professor Stephen Powles and Dr Roberto Busi studied populations of escaped seeds.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 4 minutes 22 seconds 4 m 22 s The Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative's Professor Stephen Powles describes a new study into the ability of GM canola seeds to survive once they escape a paddock. ( Clint Jasper ) Download 2 MB

The seeds were in two areas of native bushland where GM canola had blown from in-paddock windrows, and on a roadside where seed had spilt from a truck near a grain receival site in Perth's eastern suburbs.

The researchers knew from previous studies in Canada, Europe, Japan and the USA that it was possible for GM canola seeds to establish along roadsides, but no similar work had been done in Australia.

Farmers in Victoria and New South Wales have been growing glyphosate-resistant canola since 2008.

"This study took advantage that in 2009, for the very first time, glyphosate-resistant canola was commercially grown in WA crop fields," the study reported.

From then, researchers spent four years monitoring a site near the wheatbelt town of Quairading, 160km east of Perth, and surveying roadsides near the grain receival site from 2012.

Different herbicide mix key to controlling escaped canola

In one area of native bushland near the Quairading crop, Professor Powles said GM canola completely failed to establish beyond the first generation.

WA researchers have shown it is possible for GM canola seeds to escape from paddocks, but it is unlikely the plants will survive long in the wild. ( ABC Rural: Clint Jasper )

He speculated insects and rabbits may have consumed the juvenile plants before they set seed.

In a different area, the seeds did establish, but became extinct after three years.

On roadsides, where it is common for landowners and councils to use glyphosate to control weeds, the GM canola had a better chance of establishing because competition from other plants was eliminated.

But Professor Powles said controlling the canola was simply a matter of mixing alternative herbicides together.

"Seeds can persist if glyphosate is used on roadsides on its own, but if it is in a mixture with something else, then there is no issue because it is still susceptible to a wide range of herbicides."

Near the grain receival site, a mix of mechanical control and mixed herbicides was the recommended control measure for populations of seed that had established on nearby roadsides.

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Professor Powles said the research showed that movement of GM, herbicide-resistant seeds could and would occur, but management of escaped seeds was no more difficult than for conventional crop seeds.

"As always in biology you cannot completely contain everything," he said.

"It's an entirely manageable problem, but now there is some data that we produced to show that there can be movement under some conditions.

"I think this study is putting facts where there has only previously been speculation."

The study was funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation.