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Experts say Roundup causing problems in soil, plants, and animals

By Ken Roseboro
Published: September 1, 2011

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Two US agricultural scientists are the latest experts to speak out about the negative impacts being found with Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide.

Robert Kremer, a microbiologist with the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, recently said that research is showing that the heavy use of glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, is toxic to beneficial soil bacteria, immobilizes plant nutrients, and may be causing fungal root disease to plants.

While weed resistance to glyphosate is a growing problem, Kremer said problems below the soil should also be researched extensively.

In a presentation to the annual conference of the Organization for Competitive Markets, Kremer said research has not yet shown a direct link to fungal diseases from glyphosate but said “that potential certainly exists.”

He also said that GM crops do not yield more than conventional crops and that nutrient deficiencies from root diseases are a likely cause.

Meanwhile, Michael McNeill, an agronomist and owner of AgAdvisory, Ltd. in Algona, Iowa, recently said that scientists are finding many problems in plants and animals resulting from the increased use of Roundup.

McNeill said some of the problems are increasing weed resistance to the herbicide, killing of beneficial soil microorganisms, increasing diseases in plants such as sudden death syndrome in soybeans and Goss’s Wilt in corn and other fungal diseases.

He also said he and his colleagues are seeing higher incidences of infertility and early-term abortion in cattle and hogs fed on Roundup Ready GM crops. He also said poultry fed GM crops have been exhibiting reduced fertility rates.

(Source: Reuters, Boulder Weekly)