Glyphosate

An herbicide often used with complementary genetically modified crops (trademark: Roundup)

Glyphosate is sprayed onto leaves and is transported systemically throughout the plant. It blocks the enzyme EPSP synthase, which is essential for amino acid synthesis. The affected plant dies 3-7 days later. In comparison to some other herbicides, glyphosate is considered environmentally friendly; it is biodegradable and non-toxic to humans.

Glyphosate is toxic to almost all plants and has been used for 25 years around the world as a (non-selective, wide-spectrum) herbicide. It is commonly used to manage weeds along railroad tracks.

Since the 1990s complementary glyphosate-tolerant crops are available (soy, rapeseed, maize). Such crops are now cultivated on a large scale in many countries. Tolerance to the glyphosate was achieved by introducing a gene from the soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens encoding a glyphosate-insensitive version of EPSP synthase.

See also:

Glufosinate

Herbicide

Complementary Herbicide

Herbicide Resistance (Herbicide Tolerance)

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