Use of Roundup instead of crop rotation and multiple herbicides has created resistant weeds in the U.S.

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PAOLA, Kansas (Reuters) - Farmer Mark Nelson bends down and yanks a four-foot-tall weed from his northeast Kansas soybean field. The "waterhemp" towers above his beans, sucking up the soil moisture and nutrients his beans need to grow well and reducing the ultimate yield. As he crumples the flowering end of the weed in his hand, Nelson grimaces.

"When we harvest this field, these waterhemp seeds will spread all over kingdom come," he said.

Nelson's struggle to control crop-choking weeds is being repeated all over America's farmland. An estimated 11 million acres are infested with "super weeds," some of which grow several inches in a day and defy even multiple dousings of the world's top-selling herbicide, Roundup, whose active ingredient is glyphosate.

The problem's gradual emergence has masked its growing menace. Now, however, it is becoming too big to ignore. The super weeds boost costs and cut crop yields for U.S. farmers starting their fall harvest this month. And their use of more herbicides to fight the weeds is sparking environmental concerns.

With food prices near record highs and a growing population straining global grain supplies, the world cannot afford diminished crop production, nor added environmental problems.

"I'm convinced that this is a big problem," said Dave Mortensen, professor of weed and applied plant ecology at Penn State University, who has been helping lobby members of Congress about the implications of weed resistance.

"Most of the public doesn't know because the industry is calling the shots on how this should be spun," Mortensen said.

Last month, representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture and the Weed Science Society of America toured the Midwest crop belt to see for themselves the impact of rising weed resistance.

"It is only going to get worse," said Lee Van Wychen, director of science policy at the Weed Science Society of America.

MONSANTO ON THE FRONT LINE

At the heart of the matter is Monsanto Co, the world's biggest seed company and the maker of Roundup. Monsanto has made billions of dollars and revolutionized row crop agriculture through sales of Roundup and "Roundup Ready" crops genetically modified to tolerate treatment with Roundup.

The Roundup Ready system has helped farmers grow more corn, soybeans, cotton and other crops while reducing detrimental soil tillage practices, killing weeds easily and cheaply.

But the system has also encouraged farmers to alter time-honored crop rotation practices and the mix of herbicides that previously had kept weeds in check.

And now, farmers are finding that rampant weed resistance is setting them back - making it harder to keep growing corn year in and year out, even when rotating it occasionally with soybeans. Farmers also have to change their mix and volume of chemicals, making farming more costly.

For Monsanto, it spells a threat to the company's market strength as rivals smell an opportunity and are racing to introduce alternatives for Roundup and Roundup Ready seeds.

"You've kind of been in a Roundup Ready era," said Tom Wiltrout, a global strategy leader at Dow AgroSciences, which is introducing an herbicide and seed system called Enlist as an alternative to Roundup.

"This just allows us to candidly get out from the Monsanto story," he said.

[Tim/Mav 305]

Well. Round-up is a legal Poisen. A legal poisen attracks Meth cookers, Meth cookers attrack customers. Get high and kill your weeds too. What could be better than shopping at Wal-Mart for all you favorite ingredients.

[lostinblue 1,989]

Simple solution crop rotation and herbicide rotation.

[lostinblue 1,989]

http://www.monsanto.com/weedmanagement/Pages/field-management-guidelines.aspx

Managing weeds in your fields should be targeted to the practices that allow you to optimize yields. Whether the field contains crops with Roundup Ready technology or not, certain weed management principles apply. Following are a number of key factors that can impact your ability to optimize your yields, along with associated tips to help you manage through your situations.

Actively growing weeds in your field at planting will compete with the crop and should be eliminated prior to planting.

Already established weeds rob crop seedlings of nutrients and water and reduce crop yield

When weeds are present at planting it is more difficult to get a crop established and may cause a poor stand

Weeds damaged by the planter are harder to kill with later herbicide applications

Waiting to control weeds with a postemergence herbicide application means weeds may be larger and harder to control

Excellent weed control in your field until crop canopy can be an indicator of good weed control throughout the season.

Weeds present at crop canopy are competing with your crop and could be reducing yield

Uncontrolled weeds can go to seed and provide a much larger weed seed bank for next season

Weeds make harvesting difficult and seeds may be distributed to additional fields via the harvesting equipment

Weeds at harvest can impact grain quality and lead to dockage for high trash levels

Include 2 or more crops in your crop rotation and ideally rotate to a different crop each year.

Crop rotation offers the ability to change cultural practices like planting dates and fertility programs which help reduce certain difficult-to-control weeds from becoming established

Crop rotation also allows for tillage or another herbicide program or additional modes of action which help prevent some weeds from becoming dominant in the system

Crop rotation can break insect and disease cycles by reducing plant material where they may overwinter

Use a broad spectrum soil active residual herbicide in the corn season of the crop rotation and in soybeans when tough-to-control weeds are present.

Early season weed control is imperative for maximum yield potential

Residual herbicides provide early season control and allow you the opportunity to better time postemergence applications

An early-season residual treatment reduces the overall weed pressure giving your postemergence program applied later a much better chance of success so weed shifts don’t become an issue

In soybeans weeds can grow beyond recommended treatment heights quickly and soybean yields can be reduced

The addition of a non-glyphosate herbicide reduces the sole use of glyphosate which can decrease the risk of developing of weed resistance.

A residual treatment helps control tough, yield-robbing weeds like waterhemp, lambsquarters, and common ragweed and can help lower the risk of weed resistance development

Use of a non-glyphosate herbicide adds another mode of action and reduces the sole use of Roundup® agricultural herbicides which will lessen weed population shifts

The use of residuals in corn and in some soybean weed management systems has shown increased yields because of reduced weed pressure

Use the full, labeled rate of Roundup or glyphosate herbicide based on the most difficult-to-control weed in the field.

Lower rates can allow weed escapes which may require a second trip to control, reduce crop yield and set seed for next season

The use of lower than labeled rates can lead to poor weed control and potentially “select” for resistant weeds

Recommended, full labeled rates are set after years of research show the best likelihood of commercially accepted control. Low rates, especially when spraying in less than ideal weather conditions, most often lead to poor results and dissatisfied customers. Plus, weed escapes build next season’s weed seed bank

Control weeds in corn before they reach 4 inches tall and in soybeans before they reach 8 inches tall.

Taller weeds become harder to control. If you allow weeds to continue to grow, a herbicide application may not give you adequate control and some may survive to create potential resistance risks

Weed competition studies were conducted with no preemergence herbicide products, but plots were maintained weed free after postemergence Roundup agricultural herbicide application. There was substantial yield loss in corn when weeds were allowed to grow more than 4 inches before postemergence application

The goal is to reduce weed populations from year to year, allowing for more efficient use of herbicides and other cultural practices to control weeds.

If weeds are allowed to survive and set seed, dramatically higher weed populations may result the next year. As an example, waterhemp can produce 300,000 seeds per plant

If you allow certain tough-to-control weeds to survive then you may accelerate shifting weed species to more difficult-to-control weeds. Shifting weed problems may require a substantially different weed management approach

Tillage can be very valuable in many situations and should be considered as an alternate weed control practice where appropriate.

Tillage serves as another way to control weeds and break certain weed patterns

Tillage reduces complete reliance on herbicides

Periodic tillage is a reliable cultural practice that also benefits your system by removing a build-up of trash on the soil surface and can even out ruts or rough spots in fields. However, only use tillage when necessary

Make glyphosate applications at the right time and right rate when required to achieve good weed control, but caution should be taken if glyphosate alone is used repeatedly over a 12-month period.

The selection pressure for resistance development increases as the number of glyphosate applications increases in a 12-month period.

Other chemistry products or tillage may be used to reduce the number of glyphosate applications

Periodic tillage can substitute for glyphosate-based burndown programs

Rotation to other crops, including Roundup Ready® crops where other chemistry is used, can break the cycle of multiple applications

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

If this were a government program to end poverty or global warming your solution would be "We need more Roundup!"

[slim 1,530]

No different than going to the doctor for every little cough.

[TBoneTX 45,998]

"I'm convinced that this is a big problem," said Dave Mortensen, professor of weed and applied plant ecology at Penn State University

I thought that most Professors of Weed taught in California universities, si man...

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

I thought that most Professors of Weed taught in California universities, si man...

You left out Meth.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/02/national/main20100994.shtml

California professor wanted in biker meth ring probe

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You left out Meth.

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