Does Bt pollen spread?

[Bruce Walsh]

Re:  BT pollen spreading.

Be careful not to mix apple and oranges.  For most crops, there are no
wild ancestors that are even within the same time zone (much less the same
pollen zone).  For example, how much wild teosnite (the maize ancestor) is
found in the US?   

Hence, the fact that pollen can spread far is not an issue for many crops
(in terms of "genetic pollution" of wild strains.  Likewise, domesticated
strains have been spreading pollen for at least a hundred years in most
agricultural settings.  Why is this not a concern as well?  While BT may
increase pest resistance, many domesticated-wild hybrids have very low
fitness to begin with.   In these cases, the increase in fitness from pest
resistance is likely not sufficient to offset the otherwise reduction in
fitness.

Just some random thoughts while waiting for the weekend butterflying.

Peace

Bruce