The benefits of herbicide‐resistant crops

Abstract

Since 1996, genetically modified herbicide-resistant crops, primarily glyphosate-resistant soybean, corn, cotton and canola, have helped to revolutionize weed management and have become an important tool in crop production practices. Glyphosate-resistant crops have enabled the implementation of weed management practices that have improved yield and profitability while better protecting the environment. Growers have recognized their benefits and have made glyphosate-resistant crops the most rapidly adopted technology in the history of agriculture. Weed management systems with glyphosate-resistant crops have often relied on glyphosate alone, have been easy to use and have been effective, economical and more environmentally friendly than the systems they have replaced. Glyphosate has worked extremely well in controlling weeds in glyphosate-resistant crops for more than a decade, but some key weeds have evolved resistance, and using glyphosate alone has proved unsustainable. Now, growers need to renew their weed management practices and use glyphosate with other cultural, mechanical and herbicide options in integrated systems. New multiple-herbicide-resistant crops with resistance to glyphosate and other herbicides will expand the utility of existing herbicide technologies and will be an important component of future weed management systems that help to sustain the current benefits of high-efficiency and high-production agriculture.

O milho RR2 e o glyphosate: Uma revisão

“…Este fato pode ser atribuído aos expressivos benefícios advindos desta tecnologia, resultando na rápida e grande aceitabilidade por parte dos agricultores. São exemplos destes benefícios a alta eficácia de controle de plantas daninhas pelo uso do glyphosate; a economia na compra de herbicidas (no ano de 1995, eram utilizados 11 herbicidas diferentes na cultura da soja, hoje na maioria das vezes, é utilizado apenas o glyphosate); além dos benefícios ambientais, como a quantidade reduzida de químicos aplicados no solo (Green et al, 2012). Vale ressaltar que essa economia na redução de produtos, mostrou-se nos dias atuais não ser tão benéfica quanto parecia, principalmente devido a seleção de populações resistentes de plantas daninhas.…”

Nonconventional Weed Management Strategies for Modern Agriculture

“…A majority of HT crops, including soybean, cotton, corn and canola, is glyphosate resistant (GR) (Green 2012). GR crops have the largest share in transgenic HT crops globally.…”

“…The practical implications, latest scenario, future research needs, and the scope of allelopathy in integrated weed management strategies have been thoroughly discussed in this review. Different reviews have concluded that the development of herbicide-tolerant crops has revolutionized the crop production in many regions (Beckie et al 2006;Dill et al 2008;Duke and Powles 2009;Green 2012). Although biological weed management is not a panacea under prevailing conditions, it has a great potential (Ash 2010;Charudattan 2001Charudattan , 2005Hallett 2005).…”

Relative toxicity of herbicide use in the United States 1990 to 2015

“…The environmental impact quotient (EIQ) developed by Kovach et al (1992) is another common metric, and has been used regularly to provide an overall assessment of risk from various herbicide programs (for example, Beckie et al 2014;Brookes and Barfoot 2012;Green 2012;Perry et al 2016). The EIQ combines risk factors for both applicator toxicity and environmental health, and thus is perceived as a simple tool for comparing herbicide programs.…”