Introduction

Glyphosate is an herbicide that is used primarily in the destruction of certain types of weeds that damage and destroy food crops in agriculture as well as decorative plants at homes. The Monsanto Corporation first discovered it in 1970. Until the year 2000 Monsanto had a patent on the chemical and sold it under the brand name Roundup. It is among the most prevalent herbicides in use today, with over 180 million pounds used in agriculture and over 5 million pounds used in household applications annually. It is particularly useful in removing weeds among genetically modified crops that have been engineered to be resistant to its effects. The first crop to be engineered to be resistant to the herbicide was soy, also by the Monsanto Corporation in 1996.

Herbicide resistant weeds

            Recently there have been signs that some weeds have grown to be resistant to the effects of herbicides including Glyphosate. This has led to a reduction in the effectiveness of planting genetically modified crops. The fact that these weeds are resistant only to one specific type of herbicide means that farmers are forced to choose between losing some of their crop or using far more damaging or dangerous herbicides.

Safety and environment

            Glyphosate is considered to be a very low toxicity herbicide. It does not tend to accumulate in soil, and breaks down quickly when in the environment. The breakdown occurs when it is combined with soil; the active ingredient in the herbicide binds with the particles in the soil and breaks down into harmless component parts. This process is aided by the natural bacteria found in soil that accelerate the biodegredation and render any area treated with the chemical to be safe very quickly. Its effects on humans are not thought to be drastically damaging provided that it is not ingested in large quantities. There is also no direct evidence that it has any carcinogenic properties, unlike many earlier herbicides.

Other uses

            In addition to its use in agriculture, this herbicide has also been used in efforts to destroy coca crops in the South American nation of Colombia that are part of the illegal drug trade. The widespread use of this herbicide against coca crops has had much the same effect as it has in agriculture worldwide. There are now signs of herbicide resistant strains of coca plants emerging in South America  in response to the overuse of certain products such as Roundup. Additionally, those involved in drug production have merely moved their operations into national parks in Colombia, due to the fact that by law the application of herbicides in such areas is prohibited.