Gene Flow Between Crops and their Wild Relatives. 2009. 20 col. maps. figs. 20 col. pls. XV, 564 p. gr8vo. Hardcover.

This comprehensive volume provides the scientific basis for assessing the likelihood of gene flow between twenty important crops and their wild relatives. The crops discussed include both major staples and minor crops that are nonetheless critical to food security, including barley, corn, cotton, cowpea, wheat, pearl millet, and rice. Each chapter is devoted to one of the crops and details cropspecific information as well as relevant factors for assessing the probability of gene flow. The cropspecific reviews provideinsights into the possible ecological implications of gene escape. For each crop, a fullcolor world map shows the modeled distributions of crops and wild relatives. These maps offer readers a means of evaluating areas of possible gene flow. The authors classify the areas of overlap into three "geneflow categories" with respect to the possibility of genetic exchange. The systematic, unbiased findings provided here will promote wellinformed decision making and the conservation of wild relatives of crops. This book is particularly relevant to agriculture in developing countries, where most crop biodiversity is found and where current knowledge on biodiversity conservation is limited.