Herbicide Tolerant Crops
What Are They?
Herbicide tolerant crops as the name implies, are simply crops that have been genetically modified to resist herbicides. This allows these plants to survive in the presence of herbicides, while any weeds will die. This practice also boasts lower tillage practices, preventing soil erosion which many people believe to be more sustainable.
Herbicide tolerant crops are one of the more common of genetically modified crops and do their job as well as they claim to. Farmers are able to earn profit by decreasing the amount of input cost, or by increasing the yield of their crops. Surprisingly, some people forget to realize that the less crops that die, the more money you will make, which is where herbicide tolerant crops shine.
This is a comparison of crops treated with herbicides (left) and those treated without herbicides (right). You can clearly see that the right is overun with weeds while the left is not. (Image Citation 31)
Complications
Not many complications are associated with herbicide tolerant crops, however the main one is the fear of creating herbicide resistant weeds. As more herbicides are being sprayed, the chance that weeds may adapt to become resistant increases. This could cause serious issues as it would diminish the purpose of herbicide resistant crops. The chart to your right shows an increase of the areas infested with glyphosate resistant weeds over the course of three years.
Watch this video to learn more about herbicide tolerant crops and their uses. (Video Citation 5)
