Trends in glyphosate herbicide use in the United States and globally
TLDR
Glyphosate will likely remain the most widely applied pesticide worldwide for years to come, and interest will grow in quantifying ecological and human health impacts, according to published global pesticide use data.Abstract:
Accurate pesticide use data are essential when studying the environmental and public health impacts of pesticide use. Since the mid-1990s, significant changes have occurred in when and how glyphosate herbicides are applied, and there has been a dramatic increase in the total volume applied. Data on glyphosate applications were collected from multiple sources and integrated into a dataset spanning agricultural, non-agricultural, and total glyphosate use from 1974–2014 in the United States, and from 1994–2014 globally. Since 1974 in the U.S., over 1.6 billion kilograms of glyphosate active ingredient have been applied, or 19 % of estimated global use of glyphosate (8.6 billion kilograms). Globally, glyphosate use has risen almost 15-fold since so-called “Roundup Ready,” genetically engineered glyphosate-tolerant crops were introduced in 1996. Two-thirds of the total volume of glyphosate applied in the U.S. from 1974 to 2014 has been sprayed in just the last 10 years. The corresponding share globally is 72 %. In 2014, farmers sprayed enough glyphosate to apply ~1.0 kg/ha (0.8 pound/acre) on every hectare of U.S.-cultivated cropland and nearly 0.53 kg/ha (0.47 pounds/acre) on all cropland worldwide. Genetically engineered herbicide-tolerant crops now account for about 56 % of global glyphosate use. In the U.S., no pesticide has come remotely close to such intensive and widespread use. This is likely the case globally, but published global pesticide use data are sparse. Glyphosate will likely remain the most widely applied pesticide worldwide for years to come, and interest will grow in quantifying ecological and human health impacts. Accurate, accessible time-series data on glyphosate use will accelerate research progress.read more
Citations
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Do recommended doses of glyphosate-based herbicides affect soil invertebrates? Field and laboratory screening tests to risk assessment.
Júlia Carina Niemeyer,Fernanda Benedet de Santo,Naiara Guerra,Altair Maçaneiro Ricardo Filho,Tatiani Maria Pech +4 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluated the ecotoxicity of four formulated products (Roundup® Original, Trop®, Zapp® Qi 620 and Crucial®) on soil invertebrates.
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Influence of land use and region on glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid in streams in the USA
Laura Medalie,Nancy T. Baker,Megan E. Shoda,Wesley W. Stone,Michael T. Meyer,Edward G. Stets,Michaelah C. Wilson +6 more
TL;DR: It is shown that glyphosate and AMPA are found in nearly all of 70 streams throughout the United States at concentrations far below human health or ecological benchmarks, with less occurrence in the Northeast and that undeveloped land, classified as such by land use near the sampling station, has lower concentrations compared to other types of land.
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Monarch butterfly and milkweed declines substantially predate the use of genetically modified crops.
TL;DR: It is shown that recent declines are actually part of a much longer-term decline in both monarchs and milkweed beginning around 1950, and Herbicide-resistant crops are clearly not the only culprit and, likely, not even the primary culprit.
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Are glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides endocrine disruptors that alter female fertility?
TL;DR: The main mechanism described associated with the endocrine-disrupting effect of GBHs is the modulation of estrogen receptors and molecules involved in the estrogenic pathways.
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Impacts of Repeated Glyphosate Use on Wheat-Associated Bacteria Are Small and Depend on Glyphosate Use History.
TL;DR: Glyphosate had minimal impacts on soil and rhizosphere bacteria of wheat, although dying roots after glyphosate application may provide a “greenbridge” favoring some copiotrophic taxa.
References
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Concerns over use of glyphosate-based herbicides and risks associated with exposures: a consensus statement
John Peterson Myers,Michael Antoniou,Bruce Blumberg,Lynn Carroll,Theo Colborn,Lorne G. Everett,Michael Hansen,Philip J. Landrigan,Bruce P. Lanphear,Robin Mesnage,Laura N. Vandenberg,Frederick S. vom Saal,Wade V. Welshons,Charles Benbrook +13 more
TL;DR: GBHs are the most heavily applied herbicide in the world and usage continues to rise; Worldwide, GBHs often contaminate drinking water sources, precipitation, and air, especially in agricultural regions and regulatory estimates of tolerable daily intakes for glyphosate in the United States and European Union are based on outdated science.