Apr. 14 2000 / Reuters
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy, a
non-profit organization which receives some funding from agribusiness
industries, was cited as finding in a new report that genetically altered
Roundup Ready soybeans produce about the same yield and require the same
overall volume of chemicals to kill weeds as traditional varieties but save
farmers about $220 million annually in cheaper chemical costs, according to
a study released on Friday (the full report is available at
http://www.ncfap.org/soy85.pdf).
The story says that advocates of genetically altered crops contend their
benefits have been ignored in the growing U.S. debate over the long-term
impact of biofoods on health and the environment.
The new study found Roundup Ready soybeans offered several advantages to
farmers, including easier weed management, less injury to crops, no
restrictions on crop rotations, and cheaper costs.
Leonard Gianessi, a member of the center who co-authored
the report, was quoted as saying, "Yields are about the same, pounds (of
herbicides) on the ground are about the same. It's the other issues we're
looking at that make a difference."
U.S. farmers using Roundup Ready soybeans saved an estimated $220 million
in 1998 due to lower herbicide costs, he said. That cost savings included
the average $6 per acre "technology fee" charged by makers of the biotech
seeds.
Fields planted with Roundup Ready soybeans typically required fewer
applications of a single herbicide, glyphosate. Conventional varieties of
soybeans needed several applications of various chemicals designed to kill
cocklebur, jimsonweed, foxtail, ragweed, pigweed and other weeds.
Gianessi was further quoted as saying, "The broad spectrum of weeds
controlled by glyphosate means that soybean growers no longer need to make
as many multiple applications with combinations of herbicides."
A University of Wisconsin agronomist recently reported Roundup Ready
soybeans had a 4 percent lower yield than traditional varieties, based on
3,000 samples from eight states in 1998.
Monsanto Co., which developed Roundup Ready soybeans, says its studies
show an increased yield of about 4.5 bushels per acre.
But Minnesota researchers concluded that yields of Roundup Ready soybeans
were equal to those of traditional varieties.
Gianessi said his group has also launched an analysis of the risks of
transgenic crops, based on studies by other researchers. That report, like
the one released on Friday, will be underwritten by the Rockefeller
Foundation.
(posted without permission)
