Here come the Monsanto made monster weeds

[ibcnya]

As predicted by many and heeded by few.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061219/...monster_weed_2

[Ravenlost]

At least it's edible!

http://www.delange.org/Amaranth/Amaranth.htm

[Wilbursmommy]

I know it would be financially devastating, but I wonder if they let the field remain unplanted for a year and used a weed torch on everything that sprouted in that field, would that clear up the problem?

[Alice In TX/MO]

My guess is that there's already so much seed buried in the soil that you'd have to do that several years. Deeply buried seed will stay dormant until it gets the right sun/rain/heat combination, for example after being plowed up five years later.

[texican]

uh, excuse me, I think I read the article differently... correct me if I'm wrong...

Monsanto developed Roundup. Then Roundup resistant-cotton.
Now that a Roundup resistant weed appears, you come to the conclusion that it's Monsanto's fault?

Picture this scenario.
Monsanto develops Roundup. They don't engineer Roundup resistant cotton. Roundup resistant weeds appear. Is it still Monsanto's fault?

The resistant weed is a case of natural selection, not gene splicing by Monsanto.

Spray a billion weeds with a herbicide (any herbicide) 999,999,998 of them die... the last two have a resistance, and get funky, and have baby weeds, and amaranth's have zillions of seeds... 90% of those die... next generation only 80% die... after awhile, all of the weeds surviving are ancestors of the resistant parents...

This sorta thing happens with every disease, pest, insect, etc.

........From what I read, Monsanto was looking into how to control the Roundup resistant amaranth... they're pesticide caused the problem...not their roundup resistant cotton seed....

Now...if they have the technology to nuke this weed, should they? If you're anti-genetics, what is the answer?

[Windy in Kansas]

This really shouldn't be much of a problem if farmers would just use some common sense and not think that only one or two crops can be grown.

The farmers mentioned with the resistant infestation simply needs to switch to an alternative crop that would allow use of a different pesticide such as good old 2-4D.

Meanwhile farmers in Kansas are having excellent cotton crop returns and can plant more cotton to take up the slack of production in the south.

Some chemical resistant weeds started showing up in Kansas back in the 1970s. Do you hear about such weeds today? Nope, common sense took care of the problem with different crops and farming methods and different chemicals IF needed.

The question to ask is, "Do we have common sense folk out there that will use savvy means to work through a problem?" Well----we do have the annual Darwin Awards.

[rambler]

There are 7 different weeds I believe that show resistance to glysophate now.

Not really surprising to most people.

Happens to everything. Pests are pests because they are good at adopting.

24D isn't as effective as it was 40 years ago either.

--->Paul

[Bearfootfarm]

"This really shouldn't be much of a problem if farmers would just use some common sense and not think that only one or two crops can be grown. The farmers mentioned with the resistant infestation simply needs to switch to an alternative crop that would allow use of a different pesticide such as good old 2-4D. "

When you own a half million dollars worth of cotton planting and harvesting equipment, you dont lightly switch to another crop. There are LOT of things that CAN be grown, but most require specialized equipment.

[Tiffin]

I'm going to try recovering one of my vegetable gardens next year by using round-up or 2-4D, rototill, hit it again. I'll just keep doing this perhaps even two years. I'm so sick of this one particular garden that obviously has millions of weed seeds lurking in their. Fortunately, it is rather small so I can experiment with. I'll use the much larger garden next year spacing the rows out so I can 'till it up in between rows all season.

[Windy in Kansas]

Tiffin, do a search on "soil solarization" and see if that process wouldn't work for you.

Think--water---place clods or boards to provide an air gap with black plastic placed over the area---more clods or boards for more air gap (kind of like storm windows to hold in heat)--clear plastic with the edges sealed all around with soil, boards, or whatever. Simply bakes the first several inches of soil to kill the unwanted. Deep till to bring up desirable organisms, etc.

[haypoint]

I'm really glad to see that the responders to this thread didn't jump onto the "Big Bad Corporation is out to get the little guy" band wagon. Also glad that the mention of 2-4D didn't awaken the the "Agent Orange" alarmists either. We adapt to change and so do plants. Texacans explaination says it very clearly. Bearfootfarm has a good point. It is difficult to change your whole operation. But that happens all the time anyway. Many farmers in central Michigan switched to potatoes when Or-Ida built their processing plant. A decade later, they pulled out, leaving farmers with a lot of specialized equipment and irrigation systems.
Round-up breaks down to CO2 when in soil. Reduces the need for extra cultivation, thus reducing soil compaction and saving fuel that reduces polution.

[minnikin1]

Originally Posted by haypoint

I'm really glad to see that the responders to this thread didn't jump onto the "Big Bad Corporation is out to get the little guy" band wagon. Also glad that the mention of 2-4D didn't awaken the the "Agent Orange" alarmists either.

Here I come to save the day!!!!

If good sense doesn't get ya, a Darwin award will....
Keep on poisoning your land...you go right ahead.

Of course, how cost effective will those sprays be when your neighbors can force you to buy them all water filters and soil scrubbers, so they can eliminate the poisons you chose to contaminate THEIR Land with.
Cuz you can't contain it to what's yours, can you?

he he - couldn't resist... Thanks for the invite, Haypoint.

[Hip_Shot_Hanna]

WHY is it such a disaster , ARE FARMERS STUPID ??? there is a terrable shortage of forage /hay in the south because of the drought , WHY DID'NT HE BALE IT ???????

DUH

[texican]

wonder if Monsanto is responsible for the pesticide resistant marijuana... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061220/...a/mexico_drugs I don't use the stuff, but read this after commenting on this post yesterday...

[APPway]

just watched a program on our public station that has to deal with monsanto and the seeds they produce that are roundup resistent {sp}
it was called
KILLING SEEDS

you might check your public stations and see if it is on.
they explain in the show how they lock farmers into only using their seeds and also about not only charging them for the seed but also they have to pay so much a acre to Monsonto to grow it.
Don't know much about cotton but canola is a big crop for farmers up here.
And when they say it blows from the fields it really does we are always pulling it up from our garden and the closest Canola field is a 1/2 mile away

Here is a page that has a little snippit of the show.
http://www.agdok.de/GermanDocumentaries/gD427.htm

APPway

[Paquebot]

Do a Google search for "palmer amaranth" and you will get 32,300 results. One doesn't have to read many to discover that Palmer Amaranth, and others in that family, were resistant before Roundup came along. There are also some varieties of amaranth which have a natural tolerance to all herbicides. If Monsanto was responsible for those, that company must have been around in the days of the dinosaurs!

Martin

[lgslgs]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

Goat food!

Might even be as tasty as kudzu or garlic mustard.

Lynda

[unioncreek]

I look at it as a problem the farmer created. There's no mention of crop rotation or use of other chemicals. Monsanto has always said to use alternative chemicals and crop rotation so that no resistant plants survive. Using BT and Roundup ready anything is just asking for trouble if there's not crop rotation. The farmers are just taking the easy way out to make a buck and in the end they'll sue Monsanto and the expense of that will be passed on to others.

Bob

[Bearfootfarm]

Originally Posted by unioncreek

I look at it as a problem the farmer created. There's no mention of crop rotation or use of other chemicals. Monsanto has always said to use alternative chemicals and crop rotation so that no resistant plants survive. Using BT and Roundup ready anything is just asking for trouble if there's not crop rotation. The farmers are just taking the easy way out to make a buck and in the end they'll sue Monsanto and the expense of that will be passed on to others.

Bob

Crop rotation has nothing to do with it. It doesnt matter how many different crops you plant, this weed will still be a problem when you plant cotton. Other chemicals may kill the weed, but what good is that if it kills the crop too? Or poisons the water? Or kills wildlife?

Plus , if the farmers dont "make a buck" , dont you think THOSE costs will be passed on as well? EVERYONE uses what farmers grow but few besides farmers use what Monsanto produces.

And reality is Monsanto had NOTHING to do with the weed being resistant so the whole premise of the thread is flawed.

[Bearfootfarm]

Originally Posted by lgslgs

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

Goat food!

Might even be as tasty as kudzu or garlic mustard.

Lynda

I dont know about goats but I can tell you for sure my sheep love it!! And it comes back every year. They wont eat it if it gets too big because the seeds have sharp spines but before the seeds start to dry they eat it like candy