Abstract

KATO-YAMAKAKE, Takeo Angel. Transgenic varieties and native maize in México. agric. soc. desarro [online]. 2004, vol.1, n.2, pp.101-109. ISSN 1870-5472.

It is worrisome not knowing with certainty whether native maize may be damaged when contaminated with transgenes. The maize-teosinte introgression does not occur or it is slight. Then, gene flow from transgenic maize into the native one would be more extensive and important than that occurring into teosinte. The constant increment of DNA with genes in the form of duplications, trisomies, etc., frequently form chromosome aberrations that cause semisterility, besides other phenotypic anomalies inducing malformations and defective reproduction in individuals. In transgenic maize, transgenes are often found as duplications in tandem in the chromosomes. Therefore, there is the possibility that the same effects are caused by transgenes where these are transferred to native maize in México. In this work these possibilities are discussed, and is concluded that transgenic maize should not be cultivated in México as long as no experimental information is available contradicting the hypothesis here proposed.

Keywords : Chromosome aberrations; transference; transgenes; transgenic varieties.