With the advent of genetic engineering, "designer" crops might
interbreed with natural populations. Could such romances lead to
the evolution of "superweeds," as some have suggested? But haven't
crops had sex with wild plants in the past? Has such gene swapping
occurred without consequences? And if consequences have indeed
occurred, what lessons can be gleaned for engineered crops?
In Dangerous Liaisons? Norman Ellstrand examines these and other
questions. He begins with basic information about the natural
hybridization process. He then describes what we now know about
hybridization between the world's most important crops -- such as
wheat, rice, maize, and soybeans -- and their wild relatives. Such
hybridization, Ellstrand explains, is not rare, and has
occasionally had a substantial impact. In some cases, the result
was problematic weeds. In others, crop genes have diluted natural
diversity to the point that wild populations of certain rare
species were absorbed into the gene pool of the more common crop,
essentially bringing the wild species to the brink of
extinction.
Ellstrand concludes with a look to the future. Will engineered
crops pose a greater threat than traditional crops? If so, can gene
flow and hybridization be managed to control the escape of
engineered genes? This book will appeal to academics, policy
makers, students, and all with an interest in environmental
issues.
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