They are genetically modified to tolerate glyphosate, an herbicide that is commercially known as Roundup.
Huang says this allows farmers to use that herbicide to protect their crops, raising yields.
In fact, there are scores of non-genetically engineered herbicide-tolerant varieties grown all around the world.
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For herbicide-tolerant soybeans, herbicide use went down in some states, but up in others.
Several decades ago Monsanto, one of the large agribusiness firms, developed a new herbicide called RoundUp.
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And herbicide tolerance has made possible a shift to more benign herbicides and to environment-friendly no-till farming.
Glyphosate is also the largest herbicide in use and has been this way for a long time.
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In general, though, those who turn to, say, herbicide-resistant soyabeans, do not plant them for higher yields.
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The adoption of herbicide-resistant crops could help improve water and soil quality by reducing the need for tilling.
The herbicide was highly potent, and tests of soil samples confirmed that he had applied a liberal amount.
Fewer herbicide applications mean fewer tractor trips across the field, less fuel consumed and lower overall carbon emissions.
Benbrook makes assumptions relating to herbicide use on U.S. crops that are inconsistent with actual (or recommended) practice.
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However to date, the only widely used traits developed by genetic modification are herbicide tolerance and Bt insect resistance.
Its U.S. brand, NK, licensed an herbicide-tolerant technology for soybeans from Monsanto.
The company's scientists perfected a system in 1996 for injecting genes into seeds that are resistant to the herbicide Roundup.
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Herbicide tolerant crops are made resistant to a proprietary weedkiller, while Bt crops include genes that produce an insect-killing toxin.
Farmers pay an extra 5% to insure a bag of seed, fertiliser or other things like herbicide against crop failure.
Officials counter that glyphosate, the herbicide involved, is harmless to health, and that the coca industry itself does huge ecological damage.
As Albaugh added products like the herbicide trifluralin to his lineup, he saw that his biggest sellers were made by Atanor.
Finally, Pollack's disparaging assertion that "industry ... has been peddling the same two advantages--herbicide tolerance and insect resistance--for 10 years, " is puzzling.
This corn is resistant to corn borer, root worm and herbicide infection.
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For herbicide-tolerant soybeans, yields in the Prairie states were about 25% higher, yet in the Eastern states they were down by about 8%.
Gore went on to decry corporate decisions to develop herbicide-resistant crops and a bacterium that could prevent commercially crippling frost damage to crops.
He overestimates herbicide use on some genetically engineered, herbicide-tolerant crops in the United States while significantly underestimating herbicide use on conventional (non-genetically engineered) crops.
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In May 2004 Syngenta acquired from Bayer the rights to produce corn seed that can tolerate the herbicide glyphosate, providing the same protection against weeds as Roundup.
Using a herbicide to control weeds--especially in the initial growing stages--is vital to the health of a crop, because weeds usurp water, nutrients and space.
While he did use a USDA dataset, its limitations required Benbrook to rely on his interpretations of herbicide application, which as discussed above, are inaccurate.
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The peer reviewed literature contains many more appropriate and valid approaches to assessing health and environmental impacts than the amount of herbicide applied to crops.
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Monsanto shares slid Wednesday after the agricultural chemical company reported a drop in sales and earnings due to pricing problems with its Roundup herbicide business.
But Monsanto, claiming it had developed the herbicide-tolerant technology, retaliated.
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