Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Crops in Big Trouble

Superweed spreading "exponentially" in GM cotton - Monsanto tells farmers they are on their own

October 19, 2011 | Source: GM Freeze | by Pete Riley

For related articles and more information, please visit OCA’s Genetic Engineering page and our Millions Against Monsanto page.

Superweed spreading “exponentially” in GM cotton – Monsanto tells farmers they are on their own

Herbicide resistant weeds are winning the pesticide “arms race” in US Roundup Ready crops, and Monsanto has no intention of shouldering responsibility for rising weed control costs, according to a new briefing by GM Freeze published today.

The briefing reports that in the 2010/11 season so far, two new weed species have become resitant to glyphosate (the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup used on RR soya maize and cotton), bringing the global total to 21.

Infestations of superweeds now cover 4.5 million hectares in the US alone. The noxious weed Palmer Amaranth is spreading “exponentially” in RR cotton according to Robert Nichols of Cotton Incorporated, and once it has reached a certain size it can only be controlled by hand pulling.