The popcorn industry in the United States is at risk of genetic contamination because it utilizes the gametophyte factor 1 gene (Ga1) as a barrier against pollen‐mediated gene flow (PMGF) from field corn (Zea mays L.). Popcorn with the Ga1‐s allele accepts pollen only from Ga1‐s corn, allowing for field corn and popcorn to be nearby without isolation. Germplasm is being introduced to the United States to increase field corn diversity that unknowingly contains the Ga1‐m allele, which can overcome Ga1‐s selectivity and pollinate popcorn. The risk to the popcorn industry has been underassessed. Experiments were conducted to model the frequency of PMGF from Ga1‐m field corn to Ga1‐s popcorn under field conditions and to evaluate the role of wind speed and direction using a concentric donor–receptor design in 2017 and 2018 in Nebraska, USA. The PMGF to white popcorn was detected using a field corn pollen donor with yellow kernel color (dominate) and further confirmed with a molecular test. Popcorn kernels were harvested from cardinal and ordinal directions from 1 to 70 m. More than 7 million kernels were screened to detect the PMGF. Information‐theoretic criteria were used to select the best‐fit model. The greatest PMGF (1.6– 4.1%) was detected at 1 m and declined with distance. The PMGF was detected at 70 m, the maximum distance tested. Amplification of Ga1 followed by restriction enzyme digest confirmed that yellow kernelled progeny were hybrids from the result of PMGF. This is the first assessment of PMGF from field corn to popcorn, and the results are alarming for the popcorn industry and export market.

中文翻译：

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花粉介导的从Ga1-m田间玉米流向齿不育的Ga1-s爆米花的基因流的风险评估

美国的爆米花行业具有遗传污染的风险，因为它利用配子体因子1基因（Ga1）来阻止来自田间玉米（Zea mays L.）的花粉介导的基因流（PMGF ）。带有Ga1-s等位基因的爆米花仅接受来自Ga1-s玉米的花粉，从而使田间玉米和爆米花无需隔离就可以在附近。种质正被引入美国，以增加不知不觉中含有Ga1-m等位基因的玉米田间多样性，该等位基因可以克服Ga1-s的选择性并为爆米花授粉。爆米花行业的风险被低估了。进行实验以模拟来自在田间条件下，将Ga1-m田间玉米转化为Ga1-s爆米花，并使用同心施主-受体设计分别于2017年和2018年在美国内布拉斯加州评估风速和风向的作用。使用田间玉米花粉供体检测到的PMGF转化为白色爆米花，该供体的花色为黄色（占主导），并通过分子测试进一步证实。从1至70 m的主方向和顺序方向收获爆米花籽粒。筛选了超过700万个内核以检测PMGF。信息理论标准用于选择最佳拟合模型。在1 m处检测到最大的PMGF（1.6– 4.1％），并且随着距离的增加而下降。在最大测试距离70 m处检测到PMGF。Ga1的扩增其次是限制性内切酶消化，证实黄色核后代是PMGF结果的杂种。这是从田间玉米到爆米花对PMGF的首次评估，其结果震惊了爆米花行业和出口市场。