Does Glysophate (roundup) harm anything in the soil?

**carolyn137** · March 19, 2012

If you've been following farming news or the genetically modified food debate, you know that glyphosphate-tolerant seeds are now available -- you can buy genetically modified corn, soybeans, etc. that are immune to glyphosphate. These plants produce an enzyme that performs the same function as EPSP synthase but is not inhibited by glyphosphate.

...... cut and pasted from the article I linked to above.

I think one should not compare large scale commercial farmers who do use lots of glyphosphate based herbicides and those who plant glyphosphate tolerant GMO's from the majority of us who post here who are backyard, sometimes small field hobby gardeners who wouold in no way use the amount of glyphosphate that the commercial folks do.

And much of the literature that has been linked to or alluded to here is from data obtained by study of commercial fields. In the past I reviewed some of those scientific reports and agree that when glyphosphate is sprayed on everything in a field, plants and ground as well, that there might be, could be , deleterious results.

No, I'm not a pro Monsanto person although Scotts holds the license now, I'm just trying to make some suggestions about where the info comes from, and compare large scale use on crop plants and the soil as well, with or without GMO's, with what some of us might use it for on a very infrequent basis.

March 19, 2012	#11
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	If you've been following farming news or the genetically modified food debate, you know that glyphosphate-tolerant seeds are now available -- you can buy genetically modified corn, soybeans, etc. that are immune to glyphosphate. These plants produce an enzyme that performs the same function as EPSP synthase but is not inhibited by glyphosphate. ...... cut and pasted from the article I linked to above. I think one should not compare large scale commercial farmers who do use lots of glyphosphate based herbicides and those who plant glyphosphate tolerant GMO's from the majority of us who post here who are backyard, sometimes small field hobby gardeners who wouold in no way use the amount of glyphosphate that the commercial folks do. And much of the literature that has been linked to or alluded to here is from data obtained by study of commercial fields. In the past I reviewed some of those scientific reports and agree that when glyphosphate is sprayed on everything in a field, plants and ground as well, that there might be, could be , deleterious results. No, I'm not a pro Monsanto person although Scotts holds the license now, I'm just trying to make some suggestions about where the info comes from, and compare large scale use on crop plants and the soil as well, with or without GMO's, with what some of us might use it for on a very infrequent basis. __________________ Carolyn