EN
A number of preliminary field tests and a growing area show an importance of transgenic cultivars. About 25 000 field tests in 45 countries with 60 crops and 10 characters were conducted in 1986-1997. Over 70% of all tests were conducted in the USA. A transformed maize, potatoes, tomato, soybean, cotton, tobacco and melon were most frequently under these tests. Most frequently modified characters were: the tolerance to herbicides (about 70% of all cultivars), resistance to insect and viruses and the qualitative characters, too. A growing area of transgenic cultivars increased substantially in past years and reached 12.8 mln ha in 1997 (4.5 fold increase in comparison to 1996) and 28 mln ha in 1999. However, it happened just in 3 countries - in USA (74% of world growing area of transgenic cultivars), Argentina (15%) and Canada (10%). These cultivars covered 4.9% of total growing area in the USA, 2.54% in Argentina and 3.75% in Canada. By now the EU countries started to grow transgenic cultivars in 1998 with 20 000 ha in Spain and 2000 ha in France. Transgenic cultivars of some crops cover a substantial area. For example, in 1998 the transgenic soya with an increased tolerance to herbicides covered 36% of total soya acreage in the USA and 60% in Argentina.