Alternative Methods of Weed Control to Reduce Negative Impacts of Glyphosate

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Genetically modified crops are used more than landrace crops in agriculture, specifically glyphosate resistant crops. Glyphosate’s usage has increased, due to the main feature of “no run-off”. This seemingly perfect solution to farmer’s weed control problem has negative impacts not only towards the environment, but also to living organism’s health. Glyphosate is increasing plant’s susceptibility to diseases, which in turn will reduce crop yields. Glyphosate also decreases the amount of nutrients in crops, causing a stunt in growth and also a decrease in yields. The herbicide is also a threat to human health, resulting from the residue left on the crops that are eaten. These human risks include Celiac Disease, damage to cells, and suppression of CYP enzymes. To protect the health of our crops and our community, farmers must use different methods of weed management as an alternative to the herbicide glyphosate, including crop rotation, mechanical cultivation, delayed planting, and weed-free crop seed.

The product label in many herbicides including Roundup®, Glyphomax Plus®, and Clearout 41 Plus® list the active ingredient as “Glyphosate N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine, in the form of its isopropylamine salt” (Boerboom et al. 2010). The common name for the active ingredient is glyphosate. Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide, meaning that it kills most plants (Glyphosate 2010). It was first issued into the United States in 1974, and is now one of the most widely used herbicides. Glyphosate works by binding and inhibiting the enzyme enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase, or EPSPS (How 2013). The EPSPS is located at the beginning of the shikimic acid pathway, which converts simple carbohydrates to many important plant metabolites...

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