Potential risk to wild plant species of the accidental seed germinations from transgenic varieties on roadsides

Abstract

Although there are security protocols for planting transgenic varieties, e.g. exclusion zones transgenic seed losses during road transport, may represent risk of genetic contamination. Brazil has one of the richest countries in the world in plant biodiversity, and annually loses millions of tonnes of grain in its highways, representing potential risk to native species such as cotton, Gossypium mustelinum. Despite the Brazilian problem has been the case study, this same ecological disturbance may also be occurring in other regions of the world. Improvement in methods of harvesting, storage and transport are necessary to minimize risk of vertical genetic contamination, especially in biodiversity hotspots.