Mexico is the center of origin for maize, and there is a substantial interest in protecting the genetic integrity of this limited resource.  At the same time Mexico’s population is growing, and farmers potentially find utility in growing genetically-engineered corn, as resistance to insects and lower pesticide use are attractive traits.  There is an intricate balance between feeding a population and ensuring farmer profit versus preservation of a genetic resource. In this week’s podcast Dr. Paul Vincelli (@pvincell) interviews Dr. Sol Ortiz Garcia, the Commission on Biosafety of Genetically Engineered Organisms.  How much GE maize is cultivated in Mexico?  Is it a threat?  Is there evidence of transgene flow from imported feed?  These are important questions, as the topic of genetic integrity of natural populations is a frequent area of discussion and debate.

Citations on Transgene Flow:
Claudia Colmenarez Ortiz & Sol Ortiz García, 2016. Policies and Regulations in Mexico with Regard to Genetic Technology and Food Security: Country Report: Mexico. Springer International Publishing Switzerland 355. R. Norer (ed.), Genetic Technology and Food Safety, Ius Comparatum – Global Studies in Comparative Law 14, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-23995-8_11. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-23995-8_11
Reynaldo Ariel Álvarez Morales & Sol Ortiz García. 2011. Administrative Systems for Handling Biosafety Issues in Mexico: Emerging Experiences and Lessons Learned. Biosafety Protocol News. 9: 14-15. https://www.cbd.int/doc/newsletters/bpn/bpn-09.pdf
Sol Ortiz García.  Biodiversity and International Law in Mexico´s Implementation of the CBD and the Cartagena Protocol in the GMO era: Challenges in Principles, Policies and Practices. Herrera, Juan A., 2010 (Saarbruken, Alemania, VDM) pags.35-84. ISBN 978-3-639-00224-9.
Martha G. Rocha Munive, Adriana Otero Arnaiz, Exequiel Ezcurra, Allison A. Snow & Sol Ortiz García. 2008. A recent survey to detect transgenes in local maize varieties in Sierra de Juarez Oaxaca Mexico. Book of abstracts. 1st Global Conference on GMO Analysis. 107.
Sol Ortiz-García, Exequiel Ezcurra, Bernd Shoel, Francisca Acevedo, Jorge Soberón & Allison A. Snow. 2006. Transgenic Maize in Mexico. BioScience 56:709. https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/56/9/709/262869
Sol Ortiz-García, Exequiel Ezcurra, Bernd Shoel, Francisca Acevedo, Jorge Soberón & Allison A. Snow. 2005. Reply to Cleveland et al.’s “Detecting (trans)gene flow to landraces in centers of crop origin: lessons from the case of maize in Mexico”. Environmental Biosafety Research 4: 209-215. https://www.ebr-journal.org/articles/ebr/abs/2005/04/ebr0605/ebr0605.html
Sol Ortiz-García, Exequiel Ezcurra, Bernd Shoel, Francisca Acevedo, Jorge Soberón & Allison A. Snow. 2005. Absence of detectable transgenes in local landraces of maize in Oaxaca, Mexico (2003-2004). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  102: 12338-12343. http://www.pnas.org/content/102/35/12338
Exequiel Ezcurra. Sol Ortiz-García & Jorge Soberón M. 2002. Evidence of gene flow from transgenic maize to local varieties in Mexico. In LMOs and the Environment: Proceedings of an International Conference.

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