More Information on Introduction - Gene Flow from Crops to Wild Relatives

Pollen transfer from biotech crops to other plants does not, in and of itself, lead to fertilization; fertilization does not necessarily result in gene flow; and gene flow from biotech crops to other plants may or may not have significant ecological or agricultural impacts. The ecological or agricultural significance of pollen transfer from a biotech crop to either a wild relative or a non-biotech cultivar is determined by the extent to which the following events occur.

• Pollen from the biotech crop fertilizes the recipient plant (cross-pollination).
• The fertilization produces fertile seeds that germinate into hybrid plants that express the gene and pass it to their offspring (hybridization).
• The transgenes are retained in a population (introgression).
• Plants with the transgene are more or less able to survive in their environment (fitness).

The first and second factors determine the probability of gene flow from the biotech crop to other plants, while the third and fourth affect the potential ecological or agricultural significance of the gene flow. A number of factors reduce the joint probability of gene flow both occurring and having adverse effects. These factors significantly decrease the potential impact of gene flow from biotech crops to other plants.