On Sept. 7 and 8, plant agriculture professor Rene Van Acker joined other plant scientists and representatives from plant production industries and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to discuss the implications of gene flow (the migration of genetic material from one population to another) for agriculture. He was the only non-American among experts invited to the workshop, which was organized by the Seed Biotechnology Center at the University of California, Davis, and was held in Washington, D.C.

With the development of new seeds and plants for everything from biofuels to pharmaceuticals, gene flow is a hot topic, says Van Acker, who is also associate dean, external relations, at the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC). He was invited to the workshop because of his research in plant breeding and biosafety.

“Understanding the biology and the implications of gene flow are essential to modern agriculture,” he says. As food and feed crops are being bred to include traits for everything from plant-based pharmaceuticals to industrial bioproducts, the newly created plants can bring great value, but some will pose risks to food safety if they are not adequately confined. “We are at a stage in science and technology where we need to look at the long-term implications from both a scientific and economic point of view.”

The Washington workshop focused on a comprehensive understanding of gene flow biology and its control, as well as current and future strategies to maintain seed purity across all agricultural sectors.