4-22 FB Weeds & CO2

 Just when we think Roundup ready corn, Roundup ready alfalfa, Roundup ready sugar beets are ready to go,  we get the potential for some very bad news from Weed Science, a scientific journal that focuses its research on weeds. I’m David Sparks I’ll be right back.  I’m going to read you something directly out of an issue of weed science.  Here comes a subheading: carbon dioxide pollution helps weeds thrive, lowers the impact of herbicides. Okay listen to this. With global warming comes increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which benefits at least one species—weeds. Carbon dioxide acts as a fertilizer to invasive exotic grasses, resulting in higher growth rates and larger leaves.  In the weeds that is. These stronger plants are also proving more resistant to the world’s most important herbicide, glyphosate, commercially known as Roundup. 

The four species of weeds tested  in the research are all invasive exotic plants in Australia that previously have been chemically controlled with glyphosate or Roundup. Now they  can resist Roundup ready, so where do we go from here? I called the media contact people in order to get soundbites from the lead author, but she lives in Australia.  Can you imagine what that 15 seconds of fame on a phone call to her would cost me? We’ll just have to believe the article. David Sparks