I hear the terms “genetic drift” and “genetic trespass” in the debate about transgenic crops. What do they mean?
“Genetic drift” or “pollen drift” used in this context refers to the unintentional transfer of pollen from transgenic crops to nearby conventional crops by wind or insects. Seeds produced on the conventional crop resulting from pollination by the transgenic crop will also contain the genes of the transgenic crop. The term is meant to describe problems with contamination of non-genetically engineered crops by transgenes in the same way “pesticide drift” is used to describe contamination of non-target crops by errant pesticide applications. You might also see the phrase “crop-to-crop gene flow” used to describe the transfer of genes from one crop variety to another by cross-pollination. “Genetic drift” has a different meaning in the field of population genetics.
