A screening technique for pollen confinement methods

Concerns regarding the inadvertent spread of pollen from transgenic crops has created a need for improved methods of pollen confinement. The effectiveness of any pollen confinement method must be evaluated in field projects, which are expensive and time consuming to perform. We have developed a simulation model which predicts the impact of proposed confinement methods on mean flow and pollen dispersal patterns that can be used as a screening tool for evaluating the effectiveness of pollen confinement methods. The model results can be used to select the most promising methods for further evaluation in field projects.

The model predicts the flow fields around and through porous obstacles and uses these flow fields to predict the resultant pollen transport using a Lagrangian particle dispersal model. Comparisons between predicted pollen transport patterns and observed outcrossing between transgenic and non-transgenic crops shows that the model is a useful assessment tool for evaluating pollen confinement methods. Use of the model can therefore save time and costs in designing effective methods to limit unintended escape of pollen from transgenic crops.