Language
Country/Area
No result found
From patent to popularization: How did glyphosate become farmers' "secret weapon"
Since glyphosate was launched on the market by Monsanto in 1974, it has won the favor of farmers for its significant weed control effect and wide application. The success of this pesticide is not only due to its chemical properties, but also because the genetic modification of crops has made it a "secret weapon". The popularity of glyphosate has changed the face of modern agriculture, allowing farmers to increase crop yields while controlling weeds.
Glyphosate is considered an "almost ideal" herbicide that helps safeguard global food production.
The chemical structure of glyphosate allows it to bind to 5-ketopropionylphenylalanine synthase (EPSP synthase), an important enzyme in plants, in the form of a phosphate ester, thereby inhibiting the synthesis of amino acids in plants. This means that glyphosate is effective against growing plants, but not against seeds that have already germinated.
With the promotion of glyphosate products, especially the breakthrough of genetic modification technology, many crops have become resistant to the effects of glyphosate, so farmers do not have to worry about damaging the crops themselves when applying herbicides. In 1996, the first genetically modified soybean that was resistant to glyphosate (Roundup Ready soybean) was successfully commercialized, providing farmers with a new option.
The emergence of genetically modified crops allows farmers to remove weeds without affecting the normal growth of crops.
By 2007, glyphosate had become the most widely used herbicide in the U.S. agricultural sector, with annual usage of 1.8 to 1.85 million pounds. With the widespread use of glyphosate, many farmers have reported significant increases in crop yields. This not only reduces the workload of manual weeding, but also promotes the sustainable development of agriculture to a certain extent.
However, the use of glyphosate has caused a lot of controversy. Many studies have shown that glyphosate may be associated with a variety of health problems, especially harmful reactions in the human body. The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans" in 2015, although subsequent studies have shown that the carcinogenic risk of glyphosate itself remains controversial.
In terms of environmental impact, the impact of glyphosate on water resources and ecosystems has also attracted increasing attention.
With the development of science and technology, relevant research on glyphosate is also ongoing. Many experts have called for further data collection and analysis to assess the long-term effects of glyphosate on human health and the ecological environment. Agricultural regulators continually update guidance on glyphosate use to ensure it is used within safe limits.
While glyphosate has supported the development of global agriculture and helped significantly improve energy efficiency, its complex controversy reminds us that agricultural progress also comes from continued concern and responsibility for the environment and human health. In the future, how should agriculture achieve a better balance between efficiency and sustainability?
