Short Essay On Superweeds

| Monsanto continues to grow with future acquisitions of other companies in the industry (i.e. Asgrow Agronomics, Holden’s Foundation Seeds, Corn States Hybrid Service, and DeKalb Genetics Corp.).- Monsanto expands its production of genetically modified seed products which are herbicide tolerant. These include, “Roundup Ready Canola,” “Roundup Ready Cotton,” and “Roundup Ready Corn.”- Monsanto is also the first company to introduce a dual genetically engineered seed with protection from both insects and herbicides (cotton and corn seeds).

The main ingredient used in Monsanto produce is glyphosate. Companies are injecting the plants’ seeds with glyphosate, which alters the plants’ DNA. Glyphosate is an herbicide, the same chemical used in Roundup. It is toxic to plants. Glyphosates’ purpose is to kill off unwanted weeds. Companies are injecting chemicals, whose main purpose is to kill plants, into the DNA of our foods (Hamblin). The World Health Organization (WHO) cancer agency has declared that glyphosate is a “probable human carcinogen” (Hamblin). Research conducted by WHO shows that glyphosate increases breast cancer cell growth. Researchers determined that Monsanto’s Roundup is an “exnoestrogen,” which is an unknown estrogen that imitates real estrogen in our bodies. This manipulation of estrogen can cause several problems within our bodies, such as “increased risk of various cancers, premature puberty, thyroid issues, infertility, and more”

The threat of super weeds is very real. The most common herbicide used, glyphosate, is also used in the common weed killer Round-Up. This means that if these superweeds get in our front yards, they are going to be very difficult to remove. Over 62.2 million acres of farmland are already infested with these herbicide resistant weeds. Nevertheless,

Genetically modified crops are being developed to produce their own pesticide. This will bring the rapid appearance of resistant insects. Even worse, these pesticide producing plants have killed some beneficial insects and pests that many farmers use in their crops. For example, inserting a gene from a snowdrop, a perennial herb found in Europe and Asia into a potato, made the potato resistant to the green fly, but killed lady bugs that feed on green flies.

crops led to the rise of “superweeds,” which are resistant to the key active ingredient in

Monsanto is an American agrochemical corporation which manufactures pesticides and GMO crops. One of the most well recognized herbicides is Monsanto’s Roundup, which contains the carcinogen glyphosate. To prevent from killing the crops when farmers apply Roundup to their fields, Monsanto invented GMO versions of many staple crops such as corn, soybeans, and cotton which resist Roundup. Like the weeds, these GMO crops still absorb glyphosate, however the crops are able to stay alive through changes in their genetic makeup which make them herbicide resistant. The herbicide tolerance of certain crops has been adopted because it, “simplifies weed control to the use of a single herbicide and a flexible and easy management strategy” (Labrada, 2003), as well as decreasing the cost of weed control programs. As a result, Monsanto bought out most small farms and now owns 80% of the U.S. market share of corn and 93% of the U.S. market share of soy, which are then sold to modern food processing. Upwards of 75% of the processed food on American supermarket shelves contain genetically engineered ingredients. Not only are Americans consuming massive amounts of GMOs, which pose a huge health risk themselves, they are also consuming massive amounts of glyphosate, a chemical known to cause cancer and birth defects (Kruger, 2014). If society stopped consuming carcinogens, the cancer epidemic will be

Not only are GMOs harmful to humans they affect many other communities. “GMOs are also responsible for killing off bees, bats, butterflies, and other pollinators, whose bodies are unable to handle the onslaught of altered DNA and chemicals that are characteristic of GMO technologies”(Bensen). This shows that GMO is not only an issue for humans but it directly affects the insect and animals communities around the plants. These are living organisms that these plants need for pollination. GMOs and the pesticides used on these crops to fight off the insects and weeds is creating more powerful weeds and insects called “SuperWeeds” and “SuperBugs.” “And this built-in resistance has allowed farmers to indiscriminately spray chemicals like Roundup on their crops without worrying about killing them. But this system is now failing, as the weeds and pests targeted by GMO technologies have mutated and developed resistance to crop chemicals and Bt toxin” (Benson). These chemicals are effective for a short period of time However these chemicals become ineffective, the offspring of the insects can be immune to the chemical. This creates a need for a new and stronger chemical mix. GMO seeds and destroy the soil and kill beneficial

GMOs increase herbicide use. Most GM crops are engineered to be “herbicide tolerant”―the deadly weed killer. Between 1996 and 2008, US farmers sprayed an extra 383 million pounds of herbicide on GMOs (Cherry). Overuse of Roundup results in “superweeds,”

There are many environmental risks that surround the topic of genetically modified foods such. However, the main environmental concern surrounding genetically modified foods is the development of “superweeds”. Superweeds are “invasive plants with the potential to lower crop yields and disrupt natural ecosystems” . These invasive plant species are created by “transgenic crops [that] might cross pollinate with related weeds” . These superweeds can get out of control and negatively affect the ecosystem. They can become an invasive species and disrupt the ecological balance in an environment. Not only can these superweeds affect the ecological balance, but they can actually lower the crop yields of other crops. One main problem with superweeds

To prevent resistance to herbicide, farmers are required to vary herbicide use and practice crop rotations.

Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Soybean (RRS) is a genetically engineered variety of soybeans, which contains gene sequences from a cauliflower mosaic virus (CMV), a petunia, and a bacterium (Agrobacterium sp.) (Greenpeace, 1997). The two bacterial genes, in short, provide for resistance against Roundup, resulting in a crop of soybeans that can be sprayed with Roundup to protect it from weeds, while not injuring it. In 1996, U.S. farmers harvested about 1.2 million acres of Roundup Ready Soybeans, and although this crop represented only about 2 percent of U.S. soybeans, it will be mixed with conventional soybeans – unlabeled – to become part of as much as 60 percent of all processed foods that contain some soy-based ingredient (Bruno, 1997). In the United States, most consumers are likely to have already ingested small amounts of transgenic soy in such common food as margarine, chocolate, baby food, and

In in an interview done by Live Science Anne Yonkers said "We should be using the precautionary principle with GMOs, and assume that GMOs have to be demonstrated to be good rather than assume that they are good.” (Yonkers 5), modified crops accelerated the evolution in weeds at an incredible rate making them develop resistance faster. A common weed called Palmer that grows near soybeans evolved to be resistance to glyphosate an active ingredient in many weed killers such as Roundup. Do to how resistance this strain is it has spread to more than seventy-six countries and that is just the palmer weed; twenty-four other glyphosate resistant weeds have appeared in eight-teen different countries as well. Some farmers lose more than half their yield and while forcing others to go bankrupt cause of the massive money loss. With malnutrition being a very real problem can modified food be a possible solution?

Furthermore, superweeds are created, which are resistant to that specific herbicide. To then kill the superweeds, a different kind of herbicide has to be used, which additionally harms the environment. Due to this, many amounts of herbicides have to be used. In addition to the GM superweed being bad for the environment, it is also bad for the economy as poor farmers can’t afford the GM soybeans. Without the GM soybean, the conventional soybeans do not possess the genes which make them resist herbicides and harsher weather. This will result in a smaller amount of soybeans to sell, which will then make the farmers without the rights to use GM soybeans have less income. As a result, the farmers without the GM soybean are unable to make the soybeans cheaper as they would then not make any profit. Although the GM soybean is mainly bad for the economy, it is also good as some farmers profit from this. The GM seeds allow the farmers to have more harvest as fewer soybeans will die due to weather, other plants or insects. As a result, these farmers will be able to sell the soybeans at a cheaper price, making more profit, as there is a greater quantity of

Many varieties of genetically engineered crops have been designed to decrease the need for chemicals, particularly pesticides. Herbicide-tolerant varieties are among the most widely used type of genetically-modified crop, which enables farmers to use a single herbicide to eradicate weeds rather than rely on a cocktail of pesticides and herbicides. Eliminating weeds in this fashion also decreases the need for soil tillage, which can negatively impact soil ecology. (Ford,

Companies and researchers alternate the genetic structure of crops to withstand pesticides, non-GM weeds and insects can gradually develop a resistance to the chemicals. At this point farmers actually have to increase their use of pesticides. These practice causes weed populations to adapt to the herbicide and eventually become resistant to it. Once these superweeds emerge farmers must find a new herbicides and more potent products.