Ames, Iowa
September 15, 2008
Source:
Council for Agricultural
Science and Technology (CAST)
 U.S.
alfalfa growers produce for various markets. Access to new
technologies—including genetically engineered (GE) herbicide,
disease, and drought resistance and low-fiber crops—enables
growers to address changing global market situations and remain
competitive. At the same time, certain markets are sensitive to
GE crops and the potential for gene flow, the exchange of genes
from one population to another. CAST is pleased to release a new
Special Publication—Gene Flow in Alfalfa: Biology,
Mitigation, and Potential Impact on Production—to provide an
overview of agronomic practices and biology to be considered in
developing strategies that allow producers of conventional,
organic, and biotechnology-derived alfalfa to coexist in the
marketplace.
Alfalfa is an introduced, cultivated species in North America
and the fourth largest U.S. crop by land area. Although the
majority of the domestic market is not sensitive to GE alfalfa,
portions of the domestic hay and seed markets and much of the
export hay and seed markets are sensitive to adventitious
presence—the unintended low level occurrence of seed or plant
materials in a crop or crop products. As in all biological
systems, and especially in field-scale agriculture, 100% purity
of any constituent is very difficult to achieve and may not be
possible economically.
“Understanding potential gene flow in alfalfa hay and seed
production is an important first step in developing management
strategies designed to mitigate gene flow,” says Task Force
Chair Dr. Allen Van Deynze, Seed Biotechnology Center,
University of California–Davis. “Sufficient scientific data are
available to design these strategies and, as outlined in this
document, those strategies can be successful in managing gene
flow from GE to conventional alfalfa hay and seed production.”
Specific features of the Special Publication include:
- Executive Summary and
Introduction
- Background and
Demographics
- Alfalfa Biology
- Pollen-mediated Gene Flow
in Alfalfa
- Seed-mediated Gene Flow in
Alfalfa
- Animal Grazing
- Summary
- Appendices, Glossary, and
Complete Literature Cited
“This paper was written and
reviewed by a 12-member task force of scientific experts,” says
CAST Executive Vice President John M. Bonner. “CAST is pleased
to present this Special Publication as a timely overview of
current developments and a preview of future applications in the
study of gene flow in production crops.”
The full text of Gene Flow in Alfalfa: Biology, Mitigation, and
Potential Impact on Production (Special Publication No. 28) is
available in hardcopy ($18.00, plus shipping) and electronically
($10.00), along with many of CAST’s other scientific
publications contacting the CAST Office at 515-292-2125. CAST is
an international consortium of 37 scientific and professional
societies. It assembles, interprets, and communicates credible
science-based information regionally, nationally, and
internationally to legislators, regulators, policymakers, the
media, the private sector, and the public.
View
the executive summary
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