Trends in glyphosate herbicide use in the United States and globally
TL;DR: 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.
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TL;DR: Observations indicate transgenerational epigenetic biomarkers of disease pathology can be identified in the sperm that appear to assess disease susceptibility and suggest epigenetic diagnostics could potentially be used to facilitate preventative medicine.
Abstract: The herbicide glyphosate has been shown to promote the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of pathology and disease in subsequent great-grand offspring (F3 generation). This generational toxicology suggests the impacts of environmental exposures need to assess subsequent generations. The current study was designed to identify epigenetic biomarkers for glyphosate-induced transgenerational diseases using an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS). Following transient glyphosate exposure of gestating female rats (F0 generation), during the developmental period of gonadal sex determination, the subsequent transgenerational F3 generation, with no direct exposure, were aged to 1 year and animals with specific pathologies identified. The pathologies investigated included prostate disease, kidney disease, obesity, and presence of multiple disease. The sperm were collected from the glyphosate lineage males with only an individual disease and used to identify specific differential DNA methylation regions (DMRs) and the differential histone retention sites (DHRs) associated with that pathology. Unique signatures of DMRs and DHRs for each pathology were identified for the specific diseases. Interestingly, at a lower statistical threshold overlapping sets of DMRs and DHRs were identified that were common for all the pathologies. This is one of the first observations that sperm histone retention can potentially act as a biomarker for specific diseases. The DMR and DHR associated genes were identified and correlated with known pathology specific-associated genes. Observations indicate transgenerational epigenetic biomarkers of disease pathology can be identified in the sperm that appear to assess disease susceptibility. These biomarkers suggest epigenetic diagnostics could potentially be used to facilitate preventative medicine.
27 citations
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TL;DR: Weidenmüller et al. as discussed by the authors investigated the impact of long-term glyphosate exposure on both individual and collective thermoregulation of bumblebee colonies, and found that the collective ability to maintain the necessary high brood temperatures is decreased by more than 25% during periods of resource limitation.
Abstract: Insects are facing a multitude of anthropogenic stressors, and the recent decline in their biodiversity is threatening ecosystems and economies across the globe. We investigated the impact of glyphosate, the most commonly used herbicide worldwide, on bumblebees. Bumblebee colonies maintain their brood at high temperatures via active thermogenesis, a prerequisite for colony growth and reproduction. Using a within-colony comparative approach to examine the effects of long-term glyphosate exposure on both individual and collective thermoregulation, we found that whereas effects are weak at the level of the individual, the collective ability to maintain the necessary high brood temperatures is decreased by more than 25% during periods of resource limitation. For pollinators in our heavily stressed ecosystems, glyphosate exposure carries hidden costs that have so far been largely overlooked. Description Nonlethal effects matter Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides globally, with broad usage in both home and agricultural settings. Debate is ongoing with regard to whether this chemical threatens vertebrates, including humans. However, the nontarget organisms with the greatest exposure are insects, a group that is both essential and seemingly in decline. Weidenmüller et al. looked at the impacts of glyphosate on bumblebees, essential pollinators, and found that whereas environmentally realistic exposure levels were not directly lethal, they did result in a decrease in the ability of colony members to maintain required hive temperatures (see the Perspective by Crall). Such nonlethal effects can have pernicious effects that lead to indirect decline in this already challenged group. —SNV Glyphosate-exposed bumblebee colonies are significantly impaired in their ability to cope with periods of resource limitation.
27 citations
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TL;DR: Widespread occurrence of glyphosate-resistant weeds such as common waterhemp, horseweed, kochia, and Palmer amaranth were a serious problem in GR crop production and herbicide-resistant weed management in Nebraska.
Abstract: Stakeholders were surveyed across Nebraska to identify the problem weeds and assess common weed management practices. A total of 425 responses were returned across four Nebraska extension districts (Northeast, Panhandle, Southeast, and West Central). Collectively, 61.2% of total farmed or scouted areas in Nebraska were under no-till production, and corn and soybean were the major crops (82.3% of total farmed or scouted area). Common waterhemp, horseweed, and kochia were the most problematic weeds statewide. Widespread occurrence of glyphosate-resistant (GR) weeds such as common waterhemp, horseweed, kochia, and Palmer amaranth were a serious problem in GR crop production. Additionally, 60% of growers in Nebraska reported the presence of at least one GR weed species on their farms. The most commonly used preplant burndown herbicides were 2,4-D and glyphosate, followed by saflufenacil and dicamba. In Nebraska, 74% and 59% of corn and soybean growers, respectively, were using PRE herbicides; however, more than 80% of growers were using POST herbicides for in-crop weed management. Atrazine alone or in premix or tank mix with mesotrione, S-metolachlor, or acetochlor were the most widely applied PRE herbicides in corn and grain sorghum, whereas the most commonly used PRE herbicides in soybean were the inhibitors of acetolactate synthase (ALS) and protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO). Glyphosate was the most frequent choice of the survey respondents as a POST herbicide in GR corn and soybean; 2,4-D was the most commonly used POST herbicide in grain sorghum and wheat. In Nebraska, only 5.2% of total crop area was planted with glufosinate-resistant crops. Most of the respondents (89%) were aware of the new multiple herbicide–resistant crops, and 80% of them listed physical drift and volatility of the auxinic herbicides as their primary concern. Fortyeight percent of survey respondents identified herbicide-resistant weed management as their primary research and extension priority.Nomenclature: 2,4-D; acetochlor; atrazine; glufosinate; glyphosate; mesotrione; S-metolachlor; common waterhemp, Amaranthus rudis J.D. Sauer; horseweed, Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronq.; kochia, Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad.; Palmer amaranth, Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.; corn, Zea mays L.; grain sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench ssp. bicolor; soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr.; wheat, Triticum aestivum L.
27 citations
Cites background from "Trends in glyphosate herbicide use ..."
...The rapid adoption of glyphosateresistant (GR) crops since their introduction in 1996 changed the herbicide use pattern in modern agriculture (Benbrook 2016)....
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TL;DR: It is demonstrated that RDP can induce A549 cells cytotoxic effects in vitro at the concentration lower than the occupational exposures level of workers, which means RDP has a potential threat to human health.
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TL;DR: The results highlight that glyphosate can be unintentionally spread via organic fertilizer, counteracting its ability to promote plant growth, and indicate that glyphosate residues in organic fertilizers might have indirect effects on sexual reproduction in F. pratensis and herbivory inF.
27 citations
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TL;DR: One of the first specialized agencies of the United Nations to become active, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as discussed by the authors has elicited interest beyond the specialized field of agricultural economists.
Abstract: One of the first of the specialized agencies of the United Nations to become active, the Food and Agriculture Organization has elicited interest beyond the specialized field of agricultural economists. Attempting as it does to solve one of the very basic problems of the world, that of an adequate food supply, the organization represents a significant and hopeful international attempt to create a world in which there may actually exist “freedom from want.” The objectives of FAO, as formally expressed in the preamble to the constitution, read as follows:“The nations accepting this constitution being determined to promote the common welfare by furthering separate and collective action on their part for the purpose of raising levels of nutrition and standards of living of the people under their jurisdiction, securing improvements in the efficiency of the production of all food and agricultural products, bettering the conditions of rural populations, and thus contributing toward an expanding world economy, hereby establish the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.”
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TL;DR: The use of this virtually ideal herbicide is now being threatened by the evolution of glyphosate-resistant weeds, and adoption of resistance management practices will be required to maintain the benefits of glyphosate technologies for future generations.
Abstract: Since its commercial introduction in 1974, glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine] has become the dominant herbicide worldwide. There are several reasons for its success. Glyphosate is a highly effective broad-spectrum herbicide, yet it is very toxicologically and environmentally safe. Glyphosate translocates well, and its action is slow enough to take advantage of this. Glyphosate is the only herbicide that targets 5-enolpyruvyl-shikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS), so there are no competing herbicide analogs or classes. Since glyphosate became a generic compound, its cost has dropped dramatically. Perhaps the most important aspect of the success of glyphosate has been the introduction of transgenic, glyphosate-resistant crops in 1996. Almost 90% of all transgenic crops grown worldwide are glyphosate resistant, and the adoption of these crops is increasing at a steady pace. Glyphosate/glyphosate-resistant crop weed management offers significant environmental and other benefits over the technologies that it replaces. The use of this virtually ideal herbicide is now being threatened by the evolution of glyphosate-resistant weeds. Adoption of resistance management practices will be required to maintain the benefits of glyphosate technologies for future generations. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
1,331 citations
"Trends in glyphosate herbicide use ..." refers background in this paper
...John Franz, identified the herbicidal activity of glyphosate in 1970, and a formulated end-use product called Roundup was first sold commercially by Monsanto in 1974 [2]....
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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.
Abstract: The broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate (common trade name “Roundup”) was first sold to farmers in 1974. Since the late 1970s, the volume of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) applied has increased approximately 100-fold. Further increases in the volume applied are likely due to more and higher rates of application in response to the widespread emergence of glyphosate-resistant weeds and new, pre-harvest, dessicant use patterns. GBHs were developed to replace or reduce reliance on herbicides causing well-documented problems associated with drift and crop damage, slipping efficacy, and human health risks. Initial industry toxicity testing suggested that GBHs posed relatively low risks to non-target species, including mammals, leading regulatory authorities worldwide to set high acceptable exposure limits. To accommodate changes in GBH use patterns associated with genetically engineered, herbicide-tolerant crops, regulators have dramatically increased tolerance levels in maize, oilseed (soybeans and canola), and alfalfa crops and related livestock feeds. Animal and epidemiology studies published in the last decade, however, point to the need for a fresh look at glyphosate toxicity. Furthermore, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer recently concluded that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” In response to changing GBH use patterns and advances in scientific understanding of their potential hazards, we have produced a Statement of Concern drawing on emerging science relevant to the safety of GBHs. Our Statement of Concern considers current published literature describing GBH uses, mechanisms of action, toxicity in laboratory animals, and epidemiological studies. It also examines the derivation of current human safety standards. We conclude that: (1) GBHs are the most heavily applied herbicide in the world and usage continues to rise; (2) Worldwide, GBHs often contaminate drinking water sources, precipitation, and air, especially in agricultural regions; (3) The half-life of glyphosate in water and soil is longer than previously recognized; (4) Glyphosate and its metabolites are widely present in the global soybean supply; (5) Human exposures to GBHs are rising; (6) Glyphosate is now authoritatively classified as a probable human carcinogen; (7) Regulatory estimates of tolerable daily intakes for glyphosate in the United States and European Union are based on outdated science. We offer a series of recommendations related to the need for new investments in epidemiological studies, biomonitoring, and toxicology studies that draw on the principles of endocrinology to determine whether the effects of GBHs are due to endocrine disrupting activities. We suggest that common commercial formulations of GBHs should be prioritized for inclusion in government-led toxicology testing programs such as the U.S. National Toxicology Program, as well as for biomonitoring as conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
638 citations