Author : Wilkes, H. Garrison

Summary : The biosafety issues posed by transgenics for the wild relatives of maize, both teosinte taxa and members of the genus Tripsacum, are real and should be carefully considered. The author's opinion is that rapid rural development and changes in land use policy pose a more significant risk the survival of teosinte populations. Risk assessment studies, can be safely undertaken and what is even more significant, can lead to a greater understanding of the geneflow between a crop and its sympatric wild relative. There is a great opportunity to do some very fundamental research. The tools to do it exist, and the capabilities are already in Mexico; the next step is the political will to get started.