[Tyncneiff]

A bushy Canadian plant called Kochia is no longer threatened by the likes of Monsanto's glyphosate weed killer. This spells trouble as weed resistance to the top selling herbicide, Roundup, spreads throughout the world, in effect creating "superweeds."

Monsanto stated on January 11th, that herbicide resistant Kochia was confirmed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) weed scientists in three fields in southern Alberta.

International Survey of Herbicide Resistant Weeds found between 100-500 resistant fields in Alberta.

In the United States, glyphosate-resistant Kochia was previously confirmed in Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska. This tenacious weed causes much distress and loss for farmers as it can spread easily and grow up to seven feet tall even in drought conditions. Reports of the weeds' resistance are currently under investigation in three other states: North and South Dakota, and Montana.

Syngenta AG stated last year that Roundup-resistant weeds like Kochia and Palmer amaranth have scorched 14 million acres of U.S. corn, soy, and cotton -- and that will double as soon as 2015. A study by Dow Chemical Co. detected about 20 million corn and soy crops likely contaminated.

The proposed solution? Monsanto and its competing companies are back in the engineering labs developing yet more herbicide resistant crops to withstand more chemicals such as dicamba and Agent Orange element 2,4-D.


It is unlikely that the companies will look to prevent the cause of the actual weed resistance to glyphosate. More often, the burden of action falls on the farmers and becomes an increasingly arduous task to keep up with the complications of resistance.
'We devote a lot of research to explore practical and cost-effective solutions for growers who are faced with glyphosate-resistant weeds on their farm. We have been fortunate in Canada in that this is not a large scale weed management issue,' said Sean Dilk, technology development manager within Monsanto’s crop protection division. 'But we have increased communication around this topic and we speak to farmers about this more often to lessen the likelihood of resistant weeds developing. It’s part of our commitment to stewardship and protecting a valuable tool that farmers have come to rely on.'http://www.activistpost.com/2012/01/...preads-in.html