Gene Flow Between Crops

Gene Flow Between Crops CROPS New Crops 26-5-5 Fear of the movement of "rogue genes" between crops is unrealistic. All crop plants have relatives somewhere and some gene flow commonly occurs if two populations are grown close together. Gene transfer is an age-old consideration for farmers. Growing hundreds of crops, virtually all of which have been genetically improved, the practitioners of "conventional" agriculture in North America have meticulously developed strategies for preventing pollen cross-contamination in the field û when and if it is necessary for commercial reasons. In order to maintain the highest level of genetic purity of plants, distinct varieties of self-pollinated crops, such as wheat, rice, soybeans, and barley, need to be separated by at least 60 ft., while certain insect-pollinated crops need wider segregation û a half mile for watermelons and a mile for onions, for example. Canola û the general term for the genetically improved rapeseed developed by Canadian plant breeders a half-century ago û is a good example. The original rapeseed oil, used as both a lubricant and as an edible oil, was harmful when ingested because of high levels of a chemical called erucic acid. Conventional plant breeding led to the development of genetic varieties of rapeseed with low concentrations of erucic acid, and canola oil has now become the most commonly consumed oil in Canada. High-erucic acid rapeseed oil is still used as a lubricant, however, so the high and low-erucic acid varieties of rapeseed plants must be carefully segregated in the field and thereafter. Canadian farmers and processors easily and routinely accomplish this. Gene-spliced plants û crafted with highly precise and predictable molecular techniques developed during the past 30 years û have recently been grown worldwide on more than 100 million acres annually, and more than 60 percent of processed foods in the U.S. contain ingredients derived from gene-spliced organisms. There has not been a single mishap that resulted in injury to a single person or ecosystem. Henry I. Miller, M.D., The Hoover Institution

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