Would the spread of GMO traits into traditional maize crops be a serious problem?
The presence of some GMO genes in a field of traditional maize might pose a commercial risk, if consumers do not wish to buy GM maize, but there is little evidence that it could constitute a significant risk to the environment, or to traditional “landrace” varieties. The spread of a GMO trait to a more traditional variety will not produce an invasive species, since both the traditional maize and the GMO maize are domesticated plants that need human intervention to survive in the wild. If keeping traditional landrace varieties “pure” is the goal, then it would be necessary to stop planting all new commercial varieties of maize, including both GMO and non-GMO varieties, because both can exchange pollen with traditional varieties. The image of traditional varieties that are “pure” is incorrect in any case, since these traditional varieties are constantly evolving under the care of farmers that save and exchange seeds on a selective basis, looking only for traits that they like. If the pla
