Glyphosate is the world's most important herbicide, with many uses that deliver effective and sustained control of a wide spectrum of unwanted (weedy) plant species. Until recently there were relatively few reports of weedy plant species evolving resistance to glyphosate. Since 1996, the advent and subsequent high adoption of transgenic glyphosate-resistant crops in the Americas has meant unpre...

In a 3-year experiment, the effect of catch crop management [catch crop incorporated in autumn (A) or mulched (B) vs plots without a catch crop (C)] on soil acid (PAC) and alkaline (PAL) phosphatase activities as well as on the available phosphorus content (PAVAIL) were investigated on typical Alfisol. The catch crops were sown at the beginning of August and ploughed in the autumn in 2008, 2009...

Direct grazing of winter forage crops to feed non-lactating, pregnant dairy cows prior to calving is a common management practice in the New Zealand South Island. However, the high crop yields per hectare grazed, combined with a high stocking density of cows, means this potentially leads to large amounts of urinary nitrogen (N) deposited on bare, wet soil, that in turn, could lead to high nitra...

Herbicide tolerant (HT) crops are not a new phenomenon – in fact, all crops are to some extent tolerant to herbicides. Many herbicides are dose-specific for particular plant groups, for example grasses, and these can be used on broad-leaved crops like potatoes and oilseed rape without causing unacceptable harm. This is the basis for most current agricultural practice in developed countries. Gen...

Farmland biodiversity is an important characteristic when assessing sustainability of agricultural practices and is of major international concern. Scientific data indicate that agricultural intensification and pesticide use are among the main drivers of biodiversity loss. The analysed data and experiences do not support statements that herbicide-resistant crops provide consistently better yiel...

European Union Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas recently hailed 'upgraded' non-genetically modified (GM) crops as an alternative to GM crops. A comparative analysis of the environmental risks associated with such non-GM herbicide-resistant crops and GM herbicide-resistant crops is presented here. The analysis highlights serious weaknesses in the European Union (EU) regulatory fram...

make sure that the soil is not infested before planting and that the transplants are free of nematodes. The type of cover crop used in peach orchards can have a considerable effect on the degree of attack by root knot nematodes and consequently on the growth and yield of the trees. In experimental plots in Georgia, trees on plots where root knot resistant cover crops were planted produced about...

Winery wastewater contains high levels of elements such as sodium, phosphorus, potassium, well aschemical oxygen demand, sodium adsorption ratio and pH. This may raise concerns regarding the pollutionof surrounding environment. Environmentally friendly methods recycling, i.e. treatment andre-use, where treated or partially diluted is used for irrigation agricultural crops,are essential. Irrigat...