Agricultural herbicide use could double in 10 years because weeds have become resistant to Roundup

Herbicide-resistant weeds are removed by hand
in Arkansas. (Photo by Brad Luttrell,
The Commercial Appeal)

Herbicide use could double in the next decade unless farmers practice better weed management, according to a report from Penn State. Since the mid-1990s, seed companies have genetically modifed crops to be resistant to the glyphosate, sold as Roundup. It was meant to be a "more flexible way to manage weeds," said Penn State weed ecology professor David Mortensen. But now farmers rely on genetically modified seeds, with 95 percent of the current soybean crop being modified, and herbicide-resistant weeds are developing.

In a report published in BioScience, researchers found 21 different weed species had developed resistance to glyphosate, despite company-sponsored research predicting that wouldn't happen. Weeds have developed ways to move herbicides away from targeted enzymes. Seed companies are responding by making new generations of herbicide-resistant seeds, but researchers say that is not a sustainable solution. They suggest integrated weed management strategies, including planting cover crops, rotating crops and using mechanical weed control methods. (Read more)