Title: GM herbicide-tolerant soybean over 15 years of cultivation in the USA: pesticide use, weed resistance, and some economic issues

Abstract: Genetically modified (GM) herbicide-tolerant (HT) crops have been largely adopted where they have been authorized. Nevertheless, they are sometimes criticized, notably because of the herbicide use associated with them. The commercialization of the first GM crops indeed surprised a number of people because they were herbicide-tolerant: in fact it was often expected that biotechnology would lead to innovations avoiding chemicals through a better use of biological capacities and a valorization of life processes. Nowadays, after 15 years of cultivation, a better assessment of their impacts could be carried out, as it can take into account the trends over time, and not only the first few years of cultivation, if sufficient data are available. This period of time is necessary to reveal changes and analyze some phenomena that occur only after a certain number of years of use, such as weed resistance. This paper deals with mpacts of glyphosate-tolerant soybean, particularly as regards herbicide use and weed resistance to glyphosate. The paper presents some factors explaining the predominance of GMHT crops in the first and current GM crops. Then, trends in the use of herbicide for GMHT crops are studied in the case of the most widespread herbicide-tolerant crop: HT soybean in the USA. The evolution in the toxicity of herbicides applied to HT soybean is also addressed, as well as the appearance of glyphosate-resistant weeds. Lastly, the paper examines the spread of glyphosate-resistant weeds and its impact. How are farmers, weed scientists, and the industry coping with this development, and what are the prospects of glyphosate-tolerant crops given weed resistance? In conclusion, some issues of sustainability and innovation governance raised by genetically modified herbicide-tolerant crops are discussed. [Bonny, Sylvie (2011). Herbicide-tolerant transgenic soybean over 15 years of cultivation: Pesticide use, weed resistance, and some economic issues. the case of the usa. Sustainability 3(9):1302-1322. doi.org/10.3390/su3091302].

Keywords: agricultural weed, herbicide resistance, economics, herbicide glyphosate, pesticide, herbicide-tolerant crop, transgenic crop; biotechnology, sustainability

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Article: WeedsNews2874 (permalink)
Categories: :WeedsNews:agricultural weed, :WeedsNews:herbicide resistance, :WeedsNews:economics, :WeedsNews:research alert
Date: 7 February 2012; 11:12:32 am Australian Eastern Daylight Time

Author Name: Zheljana Peric
Author ID: zper12