New methods to study 'genetic invasion' detect the escape of crop genomes into the wild

Agricultural fields create a patchwork landscape that increases the potential for domesticated crop DNA to flood wild plant gene pools. This allelic introgression can cause significant evolutionary change in wild plant populations, and jeopardize naturally occurring genetic material, which is needed for conservation and for future agricultural practices. The resulting changes in genetic diversity, which have been observed in common crop species like rice and cotton, reduce a population's ability