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In reply to the discussion: You can't criticize one pseudoscience when supporting another. [View all]eridani
(51,907 posts)So it isn't the GMO crops themselves that are responsible--it's just the farmers using them the way Monsanto intends that they be used. Well, OK, that makes it all better.
http://phys.org/news/2014-01-superweeds-epidemic-spotlight-gmos.html
The USDA, backed up by researchers, emphasizes that genetically modified organisms as such are not the source of "superweeds."
Instead, they blame "weed management tactics chosen by farmers" who have in large numbers adopted genetically modified seeds alongside glyphosate marketed by Monsanto and its competitors.
A spokesman for Dow Chemical said "the problem is that past herbicide-tolerant cropping systems led to overuse of glyphosate, because growers saw no other strategy offering them comparable value."
Benbrook described a vicious cycle, saying "resistant weeds have become a major problem for many farmers reliant on genetically-engineered crops, and are now driving up the volume of herbicide needed each year by about 25 percent."
"Many experts in the US are projecting that the approval of new multiple herbicide tolerant crops will lead to at least a 50 percent increase to the average application of herbicide," he added.
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-01-superweeds-epidemic-spotlight-gmos.html#jCp