Quote:
Originally Posted by island cassie
Then there is the way they GM food crops to resist herbicides so that they can spray more often to keep weeds down - can't be right..... It could all be used for the greater good - but they have lost their way and corporate greed and profit has taken over - think of the increased sales of herbicides.
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That is the opposite of what takes place, actually. Glyphosate resistant plants allow spraying with something that is more effective in killing the weed and allows for fewer sprays and the use of less toxic herbicide. I know this very well from personal experience. I grow conventional and "Roundup Ready" alfalfa and can sometimes get by with one spray per year for both but in a year with a lot of weed pressure the conventional will require a second spray. When I spray the conventional I use a combination of three herbicides and must wear a respirator. Glyphosate has a much lower toxicity level and a respirator is not needed. The main risk of glyphosate is the surfactant contained in it is hazardous to amphibians so care must be taken when applying to open waterways. Growers have similar experiences with "Roundup Ready" corn (field corn grown for grain, not for human consumption). To control broadleaf weeds in conventional corn the standard treatment is the use of 2,4-D which is very volatile and fumes can drift and cause damage to vineyards located even up to a mile away (or more). Both conventional and Roundup Ready corn are usually sprayed only once for weeds as the plant height quickly reduces the chance for weeds to compete.