Could herbicide resistance spread to wild plants and weeds?
This is one of the areas that Australias gene technology framework would consider in relation to environmental safety before approving a herbicide tolerant GM crop for field trials or commercial release. Certain crops are capable of reproducing with wild plants and weeds, however there are many conditions that would need to be favourable for this to happen. Herbicide resistance genes could only transfer to related weeds species if the crop and the weed flower at the same time and the pollen can be carried by wind or bees between the plants. The two species must also be sexually compatible and capable of producing fertile hybrid offspring. There are strict management guidelines in place for herbicide tolerant GM crops to minimise the chances of resistance developing during field trials. These guidelines are developed by the Regulator and include provisions such as buffer zones. In the event that the herbicide tolerance characteristic was passed into a weedy relative, the weed would stil
