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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01 Jan 2021TL;DR: In this article, the authors have revealed a higher trend of accumulation of toxicants in different spheres of the environment posing deleterious effects to aerial, aquatic, and terrestrial health, most of the harmful effects are found because of nonjudicious uses of agrochemicals which, by the way of biotransformation, cause several diseases and damage biodiversity.
Abstract: Different discoveries of agrochemical-based agrotechnologies and their application replacing the traditional practices have become very successful to improve the production of food and combat hunger in an exponentially growing population. It had also resulted to boost-up agroeconomy across the world. However, different research surveys have revealed a higher trend of accumulation of toxicants in different spheres of the environment posing deleterious effects to aerial, aquatic, and terrestrial health. Most of the harmful effects are found because of nonjudicious uses of agrochemicals, which, by the way of biotransformation, cause several diseases and damage biodiversity. Several government proceedings have made legislations against the use of persistent organic chemicals and recommended the use of biodegradable chemicals for a better greener environment. In order to ensure higher production and maintain quality, several interdisciplinary approaches have been adopted, including organic farming, traditional knowledge, and the use of genetically modified crops to combat poisoning of the environment and to create a greener environment for future generations.
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TL;DR: In this article , the effects of dinitramine on the female reproductive system were evaluated using porcine trophectoderm (pTr) cells and porcINE endometrial luminal epithelial (pLE) cells.
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TL;DR: In this article , soil contamination and the exposure of earthworms to glyphosate, its metabolite AMPA, and glufosinate in an arable landscape in France, both in treated (i.e. temporary grasslands and cereal fields under conventional farming), and nontreated habitats (n = 120 sampling sites in total).
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01 Jan 2020TL;DR: An overview of the existing literature involving GPS is provided, with emphasis placed on recent studies completed in the past 10 years, indicating a need for the behavior of GPS to be considered within the context of a set of specific environmental conditions as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine] (GPS) is currently, and has been for some time, the most commonly applied herbicide worldwide. As such, considerable effort has been put forth to investigate the herbicide's behavior in the environment. In this review, an overview of the existing literature involving GPS is provided, with emphasis placed on recent studies completed in the past 10 years. As this chapter will illustrate, experimental results are highly variable and often contradictory, indicating a need for the behavior of GPS to be considered within the context of a set of specific environmental conditions. The affinity of a soil for solvated GPS is highly dependent upon the physiochemical properties of the matrix, although the herbicide is generally considered as strongly sorbed in most cases. Although the results of laboratory studies suggest that the mobility of GPS is highly limited in soils, the environmental occurrence of the herbicide in surface and groundwater is well documented. Leaching of GPS may be of concern in field soils with well-developed structure, where preferential flow through macropores is often responsible for rapid vertical transport. Recent studies indicated that the transport of GPS along with windblown sediment may also be a significant mechanism of off-site deposition. GPS has been traditionally considered as essentially non-toxic; however, more contemporary evidence suggests that it does indeed impart toxic effects to certain aquatic organisms as well as vertebrates. Overall, results presented here suggest that traditional presumptions of the immobility and non-toxicity of GPS may need to be re-evaluated.
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TL;DR: A modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) sample preparation method coupled with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry has been developed for the simultaneous analysis of amide/dinitroaniline/substituted urea herbicides in bivalve shellfish samples.
Abstract: A modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) sample preparation method coupled with gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry has been developed for the simultaneous analysis of amide/dinitroaniline/substituted urea herbicides in bivalve shellfish samples. A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) synthesized through bulk polymerization exhibited strong group–selective interactions with pigments, including β-carotene, chlorophyll A, and fucoxanthin, in bivalve shellfish extracts. Afterward, a modified QuEChERS method based on MIPs and primary and secondary amines was established to effectively remove matrix components in bivalve shellfish samples. Under the optimal conditions, good linearities were obtained in all of the analytes with R2 larger than 0.9995. Limits of quantification were in the range of 0.03–8.88 μg kg−1, respectively. The recoveries of all of the herbicides spiked at three concentrations of 10, 25, and 50 μg kg−1 in blank bivalve shellfish samples ranged from 81 to 109% with intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations less than 8%, respectively. Results demonstrated that the proposed QuEChERS method coupled with GC–MS/MS was applied successfully to simultaneously determine 26 amide/dinitroaniline/substituted urea herbicides in bivalve shellfish.
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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