Flusso genico da OGM in mais

Maize is the second crop species worldwide as for acreage of GM varieties, with their greatest diffusion in north and south America, whereas in Europe they reach relevance only in Spain. In Italy maize is a major crop and the possible introduction of GM varieties would entail the definition of rules of coexistence: this requires a general understanding of the factors that determine gene flow and of the measures that can be applied for its control. Due to the extremely low persistence of seeds in soil and to the absence of compatible species, in the agro-ecological conditions where maize is grown in Italy, genetic contamination of conventional or organic grain and seed crops can occur either via pollen movement or through physical contaminations along the production chain. The paper reviews some of the studies on the extent of pollen- mediated gene flow in maize.