Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Oxford, Mississippi » Natural Products Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #203530
Title: Risks and Benefits of Glyphosate-Resistant Crops

Author
item Duke, Stephen
item CERDEIRA, ANTONIO - EMBRAPA-BRAZIL

Submitted to: Information Systems for Biotechnology News Report
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/15/2006
Publication Date: 1/1/2007
Citation: Duke, S.O., Cerdeira, A.L. 2007. Risks and Benefits of Glyphosate-Resistant Crops. Information Systems for Biotechnology News Report. 1-7.

Interpretive Summary: Glyphosate is the most important herbicide since 2,4-D, and biotechnology has magnified its importance. It has a unique target site in the shikimate pathway, 5-enolpyruvyl-shikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS). Since transgenic, glyphosate-resistant crops (GRCs) were introduced over ten years ago, adoption of this technology in the U.S. and South America has been dramatic. Of the 100 million hectares of transgenic crops grown annually worldwide in 2005, almost 90% were glyphosate-resistant alone or had glyphosate-resistance genes stacked with Bt toxin-based insect resistance genes. Adoption rates of GR soybean and cotton in the U.S. are shown in Fig. 1. Almost all of this transgenic crop area is composed of four crops: canola, cotton, maize and soybean. About 60% of the global soybean crop is now glyphosate resistant.

Technical Abstract: Glyphosate is the most important herbicide since 2,4-D, and biotechnology has magnified its importance. It has a unique target site in the shikimate pathway, 5-enolpyruvyl-shikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS). Since transgenic, glyphosate-resistant crops (GRCs) were introduced over ten years ago, adoption of this technology in the U.S. and South America has been dramatic. Of the 100 million hectares of transgenic crops grown annually worldwide in 2005, almost 90% were glyphosate-resistant alone or had glyphosate-resistance genes stacked with Bt toxin-based insect resistance genes. Adoption rates of GR soybean and cotton in the U.S. are shown in Fig. 1. Almost all of this transgenic crop area is composed of four crops: canola, cotton, maize and soybean. About 60% of the global soybean crop is now glyphosate resistant.