Weeds becoming Roundup resistant - Farmers weeding by hand or applying toxic brew of many chemicals

I heard this on NPR yesterday - Farmers have resorted to weeding by hand because no toxic brew they come up with (up to 8 herbicides mixed) can kill off the Roundup ready resistant weeds that have developed. Hand weeding disappeared decades ago

Overuse of Roundup sprouts resistant weeds

By PHILIP BRASHER • pbrasher@dmreg.com • April 14, 2010

Washington, D.C. — Farmers' overuse of a popular herbicide is producing weeds that are immune to the chemical and threatening to erase the environmental benefits of some biotech crops, according to a new study.

The use of genetically engineered soybeans, corn and other crops that are resistant to Roundup herbicide has allowed farmers to reduce their tillage, which cuts down on erosion and protects the water quality in neighboring streams and ponds. Farmers also have lowered their use of more toxic herbicides, such as atrazine, as they switched to the biotech seeds.

But crop-damaging weeds such as water hemp, lamb's-quarters and ragweed are evolving resistance to Roundup and becoming a major problem in farmers' fields, most significantly in the Southeast but increasingly in the Midwest as well, according to the study by the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences.

It's only a matter of time before the weeds are prevalent across Iowa unless farmers change their practices, said Michael Owen, an Iowa State University weed specialist who was one of the 10 scientists who conducted the study.

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Owen, however, estimated based on his research that farmers are using the herbicide exclusively on 75 to 80 percent of the soybean acreage in the Midwest and about half the corn acreage. Farmers think they're saving money by using Roundup alone, but they often aren't because the weeds they fail to kill reduce crop yields, he said.

Farmers must be careful to preserve Roundup's effectiveness because the chemical companies don't have an alternative close to being ready, he said.

Margaret Mellon, who follows biotech issues for the Union of Concerned Scientists, told scientists at a briefing on the study that some farmers already were starting to use more toxic chemicals to treat their weeds.

"We are going back to the bad old herbicides that glyphosate was supposed to replace," she said.



http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100414/BUSINESS01/4140349/-1/LIFE04/Overuse-of-Roundup-sprouts-resistant-weeds

Probably by planting these "round up resistant weeds" in the fields of farmers who dare to use non-mutant seeds.

and issue cease-and-desist letters to anyone not licensing their patent

Nature finds a way around the ingenuity of man.

Wouldn't it be the ultimate irony of going back to NON chemical methods becomes the only way to counteract the combination of genetic altering & chemistry?

Perhaps corporate farming and mass production will be seen for the environmental problem that they are.

I know MY little yard garden may not be the best so far...but at least I don't use ANY chemicals!

kills every weed I ever met.

I haven't used chemicals for many years. It's just not necessary.

:bounce:

The store bought vinegar is actually a dilution. For maximum control of weeds with vinegar, use a stronger dilution: 10 - 20% for maximum effectiveness.

And anything I've salted seems to grow back stronger and heartier, in the future. While salt has been the universal, historical herbicide, it's efficacy is actually a bit spotty.

A confession, I commercially grow organic veggies so I'm really into trying new organic ways of killing weeds. Round-up doesn't come near my crops. But I also own and operate a training horse barn where clients expect a pristine appearance and Round-Up does the job by the barns to keep it neat and clean around the perimeter of arenas, barns, sheds and storage areas.

nt

I remember when DDT was popular and my grandfather said eventually the stuff will have little effect on weeds..did not stop him from using it as a spot spray, that is until it was outlawed. In his defence he only used it sparingly we would go out into the pastures with a sharpened hoe to pull out the thistles. The cows could step on them and get infected feet. When he came on a patch that was too large to hoe out he would spot spray the larger ones.

My partner and I are doing organic veggie farm, we use exclusively organic measures except for fire ants..nothing, but amdro will do them, unless you wanted to pour gasoline or something equally vile on the mounds.

We grew organic tobacco last season and I took the stems and simmered them to make a 'tea' I have not tried it yet.

I've tried a lot of home remedies/natural products but sometimes it just takes a match and a shitload of gasoline to eradicate them. We do it when it's a chill morning and the bees are stupified by the cold.

Terrible stuff. Scary too. I hate it when I have to use stuff like this. I've been stung too many times by an angry ground bee nest swarm however to be too remorseful. They are nasty SOBS and unless you've dealt with shit like fire ants or ground bees, nobody understands.....