[APWG] Overuse of Roundup creating resistant weeds?

[Craig Dremann]

Overuse of Roundup similar to overuse of antibiotics?

University of Western Australia
MEDIA STATEMENT Wednesday, December 20, 2006

UWA SCIENTIST SOUNDS WARNING ON WEED CONTROL

A research paper calling for international action to halt the spread of
glyphosate-resistant weeds has won a major award.

Professor Stephen Powles, Deputy Head of the School of Plant Biology and
Director of the WA Herbicide Resistance Initiative at The University of
Western Australia, received the Award for Outstanding Research Paper for
2006 from the American journal, 'Weed Technology'.

Professor Powles said the award was a great honour.

"It is wonderful to receive international recognition and to know that
our work is appreciated in the United States and beyond," he said.

Professor Powles is already an Institute of Scientific Information
highly-cited laureate as one of the worlds' most cited plant scientists.
His paper 'Evolved Glyphosate Resistance in Plants: Biochemical and
Genetic Basis of Resistance', was co-written with Dr Christopher Preston
from the University of Adelaide.

Glyphosate - often known as Roundup - is considered the world's greatest
herbicide and controls weeds infesting soya beans, maize, cotton and
canola that are genetically modified to withstand glysophate.  Thus
glyphosate can be sprayed and the crop is unaffected but the weeds
infesting the crop will die.  These glysophate-resistant crops now
dominate north and south American crop production.

While a great economic success, Professor Powles said there was growing
evidence that the weeds were developing a resistance to the herbicide
with big economic consequences for farmers.

"Our study concludes that large areas of the United States, Argentina
and Brazil - where glyphosate-resistant weed crops are intensively grown
- are under particularly strong glyphosate-selection pressure,"
Professor Powles said. 

The paper cited eight weed species which have shown resistance to
glyphosate, including ryegrass in Australia.  

Professor Powles' paper argues that solutions to the problem included
greater diversity in agro-ecosystems and less use of glyphosate.

"This chemical makes great contributions to world food production and it
needs to be conserved for future harvests. Like antibiotics for human
health, only through restraint and smart use of glyphosate will it
continue
to contribute to world food production," he said.
==============================