Journal or Publishing Institution: Economic Botany
Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3371185/
Author(s): Chavez, N.B., Flores, J.J., Martin, J., Ellstrand, N.C.,Guadagnuolo, R., Heredia, S., and Welles, S.R.
Article Type: Peer Reviewed Study
Abstract:
Whether introgression from crops to wild relatives can occur is an important component of transgene risk assessment. In the case of maize, which co-occurs with its wild relative teosinte in Mexico, the possibility of introgression has been controversial. Maize is cross-compatible with teosinte, and spontaneous hybridization is known to occur. Some scientists have hypothesized that the maize x teosinte cob infructescence will prevent progeny dispersal, thus preventing introgression. Motivated by a prior study where we found maize x teosinte hybrid fruits naturally dispersed under field conditions, we tested whether hybrid cobs hold their fruits as tightly as maize cobs. We found the force required to detach hybrid fruits was substantially and significantly less than that for maize. Consequently, we expect that introgression of transgenes from maize into teosinte in Mexico should occur largely unimpeded by the hybrid cob.
Keywords: Zea mays, introgression, cob, maize, teosinte, hybridization, dispersal, gene flow, biosafety
Citation:
Chavez, N.B., Flores, J.J., Martin, J., Ellstrand, N.C.,Guadagnuolo, R., Heredia, S., and Welles, S.R., 2012. Maize x Teosinte Hybrid Cobs Do Not Prevent Crop Gene Introgression. Economic Botany, 66(2): 132-137.
Category:
- Environmental effects
- Pesticide use
Record ID: 358
