pigweed
Nature has found a way past the deadly toxin associated with round-up, and from a plant with great diversity and dominance - pigweed has come out in full glory. Its an amazingly hardy plant and some can set 10,000 seeds. Horseweed/Canada fleabane is another resistant weed.
The superweeds are so bad some places they have had to hire hand weeders, or abandon land! And 2-4-D is being used... mixed with round-up, another deadly chemical cocktail. Great.
Monsanto knew that the round-up/gene trait gig would only last so long: it is a short sighted scheme. I can imagine and hope that farmers of GE crops are now furious, file suit and tumble the giant.
Resistance was predicted by scientist and activist alike - a super weed community explosion was inevitable.
Now what? More chemicals, this time deadlier.
We'll be back to good rotations, covercrops and mechanical weeding equipment, as well as small and labour intensive community and urban gardens eventually...why not stimulate that now.
the France24 article: Superweed Explosion threaten monsanto heartland
3 comments:
You do just say it -
i love the lowly pigweed eating wild for several years it became as valued as immature dandelion and nettles
- that said i do totally get the point of your post
you must be in the throngs of work i hope you found help and you are not sore in the mornings - peace for all
yes, yum..lamb's quarters - I prefer it to spinach.
I am pretty busy with the garden and seedlings, but the weather has turned wet and cold and very windy again. I have run out of small pots to transplant and don't have room for them anyway in the potting house. It is too cold in the hoophouse for toms, basil. peppers. I am really hoping now for warmer weather!
I just looked up lamb's quarters and its not amarantus but Chenopodium.
It has developed resistance to round-up too, however.
It is raining so hard here. The earth weeping on this earth day morning. Like all good cries, it is nourishing.
sob and pass the new spring greens.
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