New GM Crops Could Make Superweeds Even Stronger

[IDemo]

Herbicide-resistant superweeds threaten to overgrow U.S. fields, so agriculture companies have genetically engineered a new generation of plants to withstand heavy doses of multiple, extra-toxic weed-killing chemicals.

It’s a more intensive version of the same approach that made the resistant superweeds such a problem — and some scientists think it will fuel the evolution of the worst superweeds yet.

These weeds may go a step further than merely being able to survive one or two or three specific weedkillers. The intense chemical pressure could cause them to evolve resistance that would apply to entire classes of chemicals.

“The kind of resistance we’ll select for with these kinds of crops will be different from what we’ve seen in the past,” said agroecologist Bruce Maxwell of Montana State University. “They’ll select a kind of resistance that’s more metabolism-based, and likely resistant to everything.”

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/05/new-superweed-evolution/

[no_hypocrisy]

1. With all the pesticide necessary to combat "super weeds", all that poison

won't likely be able to be washed off. Perhaps it will leech into the plants themselves.

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Can you say "forced evolution", boys and girls ?

I knew you could !

[IDemo]

3. Yet, US threatens trade war against nations not embracing superbugs and superweeds

http://naturalsociety.com/us-start-trade-wars-with-nations-opposed-to-monsanto-gmo-crops/

The United States is threatening nations who oppose Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) crops with military-style trade wars, according to information obtained and released by the organization WikiLeaks. Nations like France, which have moved to ban one of Monsanto’s GM corn varieties, were requested to be ‘penalized’ by the United States for opposing Monsanto and genetically modified foods. The information reveals just how deep Monsanto’s roots have penetrated key positions within the United States government, with the cables reporting that many U.S. diplomats work directly for Monsanto.

The WikiLeaks cable reveals that in late 2007, the United States ambassador to France and business partner to George W. Bush, Craig Stapleton, requested that the European Union along with particular nations that did not support GMO crops be penalized. Stapleton, who co-owned the Dallas/Fort Worth-based Texas Rangers baseball team with Bush in the 1990s, stated:

“Country team Paris recommends that we calibrate a target retaliation list that causes some pain across the EU since this is a collective responsibility, but that also focuses in part on the worst culprits. The list should be measured rather than vicious and must be sustainable over the long term, since we should not expect an early victory. Moving to retaliation will make clear that the current path has real costs to EU interests and could help strengthen European pro-biotech voices.”

[Nihil]

5. And that one should be an OP too.

Especially this bit:

> The information reveals just how deep Monsanto’s roots have penetrated
> key positions within the United States government, with the cables reporting
> that many U.S. diplomats work directly for Monsanto.

And you wonder why there is little media reporting about the poisons that
the US public is being forced to eat & drink every day?

[ladjf]

4. Whatever is the dumbest choice is the one that will be made. Hello America, have you forgotten

how to think objectively?