herbicides
Infrared sensors allow ‘spot’ spraying of weedkiller
A Dutch company, Rometron, has married infrared sensors and digital controls for "spot" spraying of weedkiller on agricultural equipment up to 110 feet wide.
U.S. relaxes rules on pesticide sales to Cuba
The Obama administration announced new rules, effective today, to expand travel and trade with Cuba, including sales of agricultural herbicides, insecticides and pesticides. The revisions do not change the requirement for Cuba to pay cash in advance for U.S. food and agricultural exports.
EPA changed view on Dow herbicide safety
En route to approving the herbicide 2,4-D for use on new GMO strains of corn and soybeans, EPA scientists "changed their analysis of a pivotal rat study by Dow, tossing aside signs of kidney trouble that Dow researchers said were caused by 2,4-D," said an investigative report in the Chicago Tribune.
Both sides in GMO labeling fight seek advocates from academia
Both Monsanto, the giant seed company, or Stonyfield Farm, the organic yogurt company, "have aggressively recruited academic researchers" to carry their banner in the tussle over labeling foods made with genetically modified organisms, says the New York Times.
After a long break, farmers are ‘walking beans’ again
Some farmers in central Illinois turned to hand hoeing of soybean fields to get rid of weeds that herbicides don't kill, says DTN's Pam Smith.
EPA to expand review of glyphosate and atrazine
Two of the most widely used herbicides, glyphosate and atrazine, will be part of a nationwide evaluation of the effects of 16 chemicals on 1,500 endangered plants and animals...
Lawmakers to POTUS: “Be bold” to protect monarch butterfly
In a letter, 52 House Democrats asked President Obama to "be bold" and protect the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act, "the last, best chance to save this amazing species and its incredible migration."
In erosive Palouse, wheat growers look for soil-holding crops
Karl Kupers was an early convert to no-till wheat in the arid and erodible Palouse region of the U.S. Northwest, where wheat is dominant, says a reader-funded story on Flux.
Dow gets cold shoulder for its 2,4-D seed technology
Two major seed companies say they don't plan to use Dow's genetics that allow soybeans to tolerate the herbicides 2,4-D and glyphosate, says Bloomberg.
Dual-herbicide seeds to be Monsanto’s biggest GE launch
After a decade of development, Monsanto anticipates its genetically engineered Xtend soybean and cotton varieties will be its "largest biotech trait launch...with six times the number of varieties" that it offered in a previous set of GE strains.
Monsanto experiments again with GE wheat
More than a decade after pulling the plug on genetically engineered wheat, Monsanto is working again on biotech wheat, says the St Louis Post-Dispatch after visiting a research center run by the agribusiness giant.
USDA approves GE cotton and soy that tolerate dicamba
The government approved cultivation of genetically engineered cotton and soybean varieties from Monsanto that tolerate the weedkillers dicamba and glufosinate. So-called super weeds that are resistant to glyphosate, a widely used herbicide known as Roundup, have prompted work on biotech plants that can be matched with other herbicides.USDA said a Federal Register notice of its decision was scheduled to appear on Tuesday, the effective date for deregulation of the new Monsanto strains.
Grids instead of rows helps crops battle weeds
Crops such as wheat and corn would fare better against weeds if growers abandoned the traditional approach of planting crops in rows, says research by the University of Copenhagen.
“Superweeds” – prolific competitors and spray-resistant
Herbicide-resistant "superweeds" are the result of "over-reliance on a single class of herbicides," says the Weed Science Society of America.
Soil-savings from GE crops is a myth, says green group
Genetically engineered crops get undue credit for reducing soil losses on cropland, says the Environmental Working Group. In a three-page analysis, EWG says the credit really should go to so-called conservation compliance and the Conservation...
“Super weeds” bring resurgence of mechanical cultivators
Row-crop cultivators are being put to work because of the emergence of herbicide-resistant "super weeds," says DTN, "something of a renaissance" for mechanical weed control. Cultivators went into decline with adoption of limited-tillage and herbicides.
Habitat loss in US is cause in monarch butterfly decline
The main cause of declines in the monarch butterfly population is loss of habitat in breeding grounds in North America, particularly the U.S. Corn Belt, says research by the University of Guelph.
Fungicides are leading culprit in new Dirty Dozen report
Four of the five most frequently detected chemicals on fruit and vegetables in the Environmental Working Group's annual Dirty Dozen list are fungicides linked to endocrine disruption and reproductive system damage in humans.