singular_me
27th October 2015, 04:15 AM
Monsanto’s GMO seeds have led to creation of ‘superweeds’
27th October 2015
The move by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) deregulated Monsanto’s MON 87411 maize, developed to protect the plants against corn rootworm, which can drag down crop yields. And of course, the GMO seed is also tolerant to glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup.
The trait would be inserted into the corn seeds' genetic code, and could be "stacked" with other traits. This means that additional modifications of the genetic code could be manipulated, making the corn seed nothing like the original. The fact that the seed is also tolerant to glyphosate is worth looking at a bit closer.
The deregulation step by APHIS is only one of a number of steps that involve a multiyear process before the new corn seed gets final approval to be used commercially. Other steps include assessments by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USDA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and regulators in other countries................
When Monsanto introduced its genetically engineered Roundup Ready crops in 1990, farmers flocked to buy the new seeds, even though scientists said the weeds that Roundup killed eventually would build up a resistance to glyphosate. Scientists rightly said that any glyphosate-resistant weed would have a distinct reproductive advantage. Monsanto said this scenario would never happen.
Well, guess what? It did happen, and much sooner than expected. Superweeds have taken over more than 60 million acres of American farmland, creating environmental havoc, driving up farmers’ costs, prompting them to resort to more and more toxic weed-killers. The first documented case of glyphosate-resistant weeds occurred in Australia in 1996, involving rigid ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) near Orange, New South Wales.
However, the introduction of genetically modified crops such as corn, soybeans and cotton that tolerate the spraying of multiple herbicides, and products made with more than one herbicide in the formulation are really creating a huge downward spiral that we will never be able to stop................
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/environment/monsanto-s-gmo-seeds-have-led-to-creation-of-superweeds/article/447560#ixzz3plXIt9UI
Monsanto’s Newest GM Crops May Create More Problems Than They Solve
The latest in a new generation of genetically engineered crops is poised to enter widespread use—and critics think they’ll cause more problems than they solve.
Proponents of the new cotton and soybean varieties, engineered by Monsanto to tolerate spraying with multiple herbicides, say they’re a much-needed tool. “These weed management solutions will provide farmers with more consistent, flexible control of tough-to-manage broadleaf weeds,” said Monsanto in a press release issued after the US Department of Agriculture approved the crops for use last month.
But others think the benefits will at best be short-lived. Weeds may soon become resistant to the new herbicide mixtures, resulting in new generations of ever-more-intractable weeds that will need to be controlled with yet more herbicides.
http://www.wired.com/2015/02/new-gmo-crop-controversy/
27th October 2015
The move by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) deregulated Monsanto’s MON 87411 maize, developed to protect the plants against corn rootworm, which can drag down crop yields. And of course, the GMO seed is also tolerant to glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup.
The trait would be inserted into the corn seeds' genetic code, and could be "stacked" with other traits. This means that additional modifications of the genetic code could be manipulated, making the corn seed nothing like the original. The fact that the seed is also tolerant to glyphosate is worth looking at a bit closer.
The deregulation step by APHIS is only one of a number of steps that involve a multiyear process before the new corn seed gets final approval to be used commercially. Other steps include assessments by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USDA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and regulators in other countries................
When Monsanto introduced its genetically engineered Roundup Ready crops in 1990, farmers flocked to buy the new seeds, even though scientists said the weeds that Roundup killed eventually would build up a resistance to glyphosate. Scientists rightly said that any glyphosate-resistant weed would have a distinct reproductive advantage. Monsanto said this scenario would never happen.
Well, guess what? It did happen, and much sooner than expected. Superweeds have taken over more than 60 million acres of American farmland, creating environmental havoc, driving up farmers’ costs, prompting them to resort to more and more toxic weed-killers. The first documented case of glyphosate-resistant weeds occurred in Australia in 1996, involving rigid ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) near Orange, New South Wales.
However, the introduction of genetically modified crops such as corn, soybeans and cotton that tolerate the spraying of multiple herbicides, and products made with more than one herbicide in the formulation are really creating a huge downward spiral that we will never be able to stop................
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/environment/monsanto-s-gmo-seeds-have-led-to-creation-of-superweeds/article/447560#ixzz3plXIt9UI
Monsanto’s Newest GM Crops May Create More Problems Than They Solve
The latest in a new generation of genetically engineered crops is poised to enter widespread use—and critics think they’ll cause more problems than they solve.
Proponents of the new cotton and soybean varieties, engineered by Monsanto to tolerate spraying with multiple herbicides, say they’re a much-needed tool. “These weed management solutions will provide farmers with more consistent, flexible control of tough-to-manage broadleaf weeds,” said Monsanto in a press release issued after the US Department of Agriculture approved the crops for use last month.
But others think the benefits will at best be short-lived. Weeds may soon become resistant to the new herbicide mixtures, resulting in new generations of ever-more-intractable weeds that will need to be controlled with yet more herbicides.
http://www.wired.com/2015/02/new-gmo-crop-controversy/