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The problem is with the ease of use. If you can apply roundup all-around the season, you do so. And if you do, some undesirable plants will survive, hidden out

The problem is with the ease of use. If you can apply roundup all-around the season, you do so. And if you do, some undesirable plants will survive, hidden out of sight. These will adapt and thus, genetically modified crops "breed" multi-pesticide resistant weeds. In the traditional approach to farming this did happen only seldom, because the times when pesticides were applied, are severely limited. And if resistant weeds where encountered, a change of the grown culture and apply of broad-band pesticides could eliminate them. TL,DR; Genetically Modified Crops grow resistant weeds that drastically reduce the harvest.

Retric 10y ago
Pesticide resistance is much harder to develop and spread than Antibiotic resistance. Vastly smaller populations and much longer reproduction means plants adapt/evolve much less quickly. Further, lack of horizontal gene transfer means each species needs to evolve resistance independently.
- Pica_soO 10y ago
  Yes and yes. But you have a Million dices, being rolled every year, and some of those dices are loaded with sloppy applied, diluted, pesticides. And once the Weed is in existence, it can rely on transfer by car, truck and train. The problem is not the GMO are not financial viable (they are, as long as there are no resistant weeds), the problem in my point of view are not health risks (though some of the in abundance used pesticides are on the carcinogenic watch list here in the EU)- the problem is the same with developing antibiotics. You do, and everyone and his dog uses it for minor injuries, resulting in a fast resistance. Meaning, this whole genetically engineering is a constant uphill game against statistics.
hamandcheese 10y ago
Is there actually any evidence that indicates this? In theory it sounds like it could happen, but I'd also expect the time scales to be proportionately... macro, compared to what's happening with resistant bacteria right now.
- honkhonkpants 10y ago
  There are definitely roundup-resistant weeds, if that was your question. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html http://mobile.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environ...

Retric 10y ago

Pesticide resistance is much harder to develop and spread than Antibiotic resistance. Vastly smaller populations and much longer reproduction means plants adapt/evolve much less quickly. Further, lack of horizontal gene transfer means each species needs to evolve resistance independently.

Pica_soO 10y ago
Yes and yes. But you have a Million dices, being rolled every year, and some of those dices are loaded with sloppy applied, diluted, pesticides. And once the Weed is in existence, it can rely on transfer by car, truck and train. The problem is not the GMO are not financial viable (they are, as long as there are no resistant weeds), the problem in my point of view are not health risks (though some of the in abundance used pesticides are on the carcinogenic watch list here in the EU)- the problem is the same with developing antibiotics. You do, and everyone and his dog uses it for minor injuries, resulting in a fast resistance. Meaning, this whole genetically engineering is a constant uphill game against statistics.

hamandcheese 10y ago

Is there actually any evidence that indicates this? In theory it sounds like it could happen, but I'd also expect the time scales to be proportionately... macro, compared to what's happening with resistant bacteria right now.

honkhonkpants 10y ago
There are definitely roundup-resistant weeds, if that was your question. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html http://mobile.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environ...