gene Flow: Implications for Crop Diversity and Wild Relatives

Chapter 6Practical Considerations for Policy andRisk Assessment on Gene Flow6.1 Strategies for mitigating transgene flowThe knowledge gained from transgene flow studies has beenuseful in developing appropriate measures to limit gene flowfrom transgenic plants. A number of strategies have beenoutlined to document and minimise gene flow from transgenicsources.Given the uncertainties over the ecological and evolutionaryimpacts of gene flow, the means to minimise potential geneflow are active areas of investigation. Most of these will involvetemporal and spatial isolation of the transgenic crops frompotential gene flow scenarios. Containment and confinementstrategies span the range from the physical (Morris et al. 1994;Staniland et al. 2000) to the chemical (Schemthaner et al. 2003)to the molecular (Daniell 2002). No single strategy is failsafe,and overlapping approaches will be necessary to adequatelyensure minimal transgene escape, yet must also be investigatedfor their own biosafety.23