Herbicide Resistant Soybean

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Herbicide-resistant soybeans , also known colloquially as "gene soybeans", are genetically modified soybeans that have previously made it possible to control weeds more cheaply . The herbicide-resistant soybean is the most important application of green genetic engineering to date and is mainly grown in North and South America.

Economics

Herbicides that do not harm the crop are rare, so with suboptimal herbicides there is a trade-off between killing a smaller mass of weeds (if used before the crop is sprouting) and damage to the crop (if it's used after sprouting). Both options imply possible loss of income. The herbicide-resistant soybeans are resistant to glyphosate , a broad spectrum herbicide . In this way, herbicide control can be carried out regardless of the crop growth status. In addition, the combination of broad-spectrum herbicides with correspondingly resistant arable crops can reduce costs if less specialized herbicides are saved.

Worldwide importance

The herbicide-resistant soybean was first approved in the USA in 1996. It is the most important application of green genetic engineering in terms of cultivation area, accounting for 52% of the global GM area. In 2009, 77% of the global soybean area was sown with transgenic soybeans. The herbicide-resistant soybean was grown in the following 11 countries in 2009 (in brackets the proportion of herbicide-resistant soybeans in the soybean area in 2008): USA (> 90%), Argentina (99%), Brazil (65%), Canada (63%), Paraguay (95%), South Africa (80%), Uruguay (100%), Bolivia (63%), Mexico (8%), Chile and Costa Rica.

In Brazil, illegal cultivation has been practiced for years, which has been guided into legal channels by a law since spring 2005. On December 10, 2009, the first herbicide-resistant soybean developed in Brazil received approval from the Brazilian authorities. It is marketed together with imidazolinone herbicides (brand name Cultivance). Buyers in the EU have a major influence on the cultivation of GMO-free or genetically modified soy . Large quantities of the soy grown in South America are exported to the EU as animal feed. The self-sufficiency rate of the EU through own cultivation is 2%. According to Rafael Cruz of Greenpeace Brazil, the sharp increase in GM soy in Brazil is due to the fact that Europeans were not willing to pay significantly more for GM-free soy. But the farmers would have less work with GM soy.

Romania grew herbicide-resistant soybeans on over 100,000 hectares until 2006, but had to give up when it joined the EU in January 2007, as herbicide-resistant soybeans are not permitted for cultivation in the EU. 3 transgenic soybeans are approved as food and feed in the EU.

Effects of herbicide resistant soybean

In summary, it can be stated that the herbicide-resistant soybean did not significantly change yields or costs, but led to savings in the area of ​​herbicide consumption. Positive environmental effects have so far resulted from the increase in conservation tillage and the substitution of herbicides.

Socio-economic impact

In a 1997 study with 1,444 observations from 17 US states, slight savings in herbicide applications and slight increases in yield were observed, but no statistically significant increases in contribution margins . However, another study found that herbicide-resistant soybean adoption was associated with an increase in non-farm income for farms as it saves time by making it easier to control weeds. Further studies have found cost savings (excluding seed costs) of between US $ 25 and 78 per hectare, with the technology costing $ 15-17 per hectare. The use of herbicides in the herbicide-resistant soybean is approx. 10% lower in the USA than in the conventional soybean.

In Canada , according to a 1997-2004 study, there were cost reductions of C $ 47-89 per hectare with seed premiums of C $ 32-45.

According to a study in Argentina and Paraguay , cost savings of US $ 24-30 per hectare with technology premiums of $ 3-4, in Brazil of $ 88.

A study published in 2016 estimated the effects of herbicide-resistant soybeans on farm costs and profits in several countries (Romania, Argentina, Brazil, United States, Canada, Paraguay, Uruguay, South Africa, Mexico, and Bolivia). Accordingly, the main result for farmers was cost reductions through lower spending on herbicides. In some countries (Romania, Mexico, Bolivia) herbicide-resistant soybeans also improved yields as weed control was improved. In these countries in particular, farmers' profits increased. Another effect of the herbicide-resistant soybean is a shortening of the growing earth diode in South America, putting soybeans right after wheat in the same season. This effect has weighed on farmers in Argentina and Paraguay in particular, and increased soy production overall. Overall, the study estimates that herbicide-resistant soybeans increased agricultural incomes by $ 5.2 billion in 2014 and $ 46.6 billion since 1996. 29% of this increase in income can be attributed to earnings effects and the shortening of the cultivation period, 71% weed control cost reductions.

A study published in 2014 by the Economic Research Service provides an overview of the effects in the USA, which it derived from field experiments and surveys with farmers. It is therefore unclear whether herbicide-tolerant soybeans will increase agricultural profits or not. In addition, farmers derive a non-monetary benefit from simplified weed control, which can also give them more free time or other sources of income.

Environmental impact

Positive environmental effects of the adoption of herbicide-resistant plants were shown for the following points: Glyphosate is significantly less toxic and causes less eutrophication than the herbicides it replaces. In addition, the decline in the use of plows and field operations leads to fuel savings and a reduction in soil erosion ( conservation tillage ).

Weed populations have been under selection pressure from glyphosate for 35 years . With the introduction of genetically modified, herbicide-resistant plants, however, the use of glyphosate increased sharply in countries such as Argentina, the USA and Brazil, which significantly increased selection pressure. In recent years, the problem of glyphosate-resistant weeds has therefore increased and at the same time brought about a change in the weed spectrum. The basic cause is the one-sided use of glyphosate in weed control. So the diversity of the herbicides used decreased. The use of the plow, a traditional means of weed control, also declined. Scientists see the sustainability of glyphosate use as a threat and recommend greater diversity in weed control. In addition to glyphosate, other herbicides and other weed control methods should be used as herbicides. Transgenic plants with resistance to herbicides other than glyphosate are already in development.

Outcrossing to related wild species is no more likely or problematic than with conventional soybeans, as glyphosate resistance does not offer any fitness benefit . Outcrossing is generally of little concern in the soybean because it is self-pollinating . So far there has not been an outcrossing of glyphosate resistance to weeds, presumably because there are no sexually compatible species in soy-growing areas.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ S. Duke: Herbicide-resistant crops: agricultural, environmental, economic, regulatory, and technical aspects. CRC Press, Boca Raton 1996.
  2. ↑ C. James: Global Status of Commercialized Biotech / GM Crops: 2009. (= ISAAA Brief. No. 41). ISAAA, Ithaca, NY 2010.
  3. ↑ ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: GM soybeans receive approval for commercial cultivation in Brazil. ) Press release BASF from February 5, 2009.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.agro.basf.com
  4. ↑ fefac: Feed & Food Statistical yearbook 2010. ( Memento of January 28, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) P. 53. (English, PDF)
  5. ↑ Emerging countries rely on genetically modified plants. In: NZZ. June 18, 2009 (section "Change of heart in Brazil")
  6. ↑ C. James: Global Status of Commercialized Biotech / GM Crops: 2008. (= ISAAA Brief. No. 39). ISAAA: Ithaca, NY. 2009. (PDF; 2.4 MB)
  7. ↑ soybean. ( Memento from July 5, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) on: transgen.de , April 1, 2011.
  8. ^ A b c d G. Brookes, P. Barfoot: GM crops: The global economic and environmental impact - the first nine years 1996-2004. In: AgBioForum. 8 (2 & 3), 2005, pp. 187-196.
  9. ↑ a b C. Hin, P. Schenkelaars, G. Pak: Agronomic and environmental impacts of the commercial cultivation of glyphosate tolerant soybean in the USA. Center for Agriculture and Environment, Utrecht 2001 ( PDF ( Memento from February 11, 2012 in the Internet Archive ); 184 kB).
  10. ↑ J. Fernandez-Cornejo, C. Klotz-Ingram, S. Jans: Farm-Level Effects of Adopting Herbicide-Tolerant Soybeans in the USA In: Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics. Vol. 34, 1, April 2002, pp. 149-163 2002.
  11. ^ J. Fernandez-Cornejo, Off-Farm Income, Technology Adoption, and Farm Economic Performance. (= Economic Research Report. No. (ERR-36)). February 2007.
  12. ↑ Graham Brookes, Peter Barfoot: Global income and production impacts of using GM crop technology 1996-2014 . In: GM Crops & Food . tape 7 , no. 1 , 2016, p. 38-77 , doi : 10.1080 / 21645698.2016.1176817 .
  13. ↑ Jorge Fernandez-Cornejo, Seth Wechsler, Mike Livingston, Lorraine Mitchell: Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States . US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Washington, DC 2014.
  14. ↑ a b c Stephen Duke, Stephen Powles: Glyphosate-Resistant Crops and Weeds: Now and in the Future. In: AgBioForum. 12 (3 & 4), 2009, pp. 246-257.