Sustainable Horticulture

Show Me the Research – Glyphosate and GM Problems Expand

Posted by sustainable_hort on May 24, 2010  |  No Comments

Monsanto’s PR team must be up nights…since the good news just keeps coming up around GM technology and their popular herbicide product…Round-Up. We have discussed several resistance issues recently (see both earlier “Show Me the Research” posts), but the concerns and problems are expanding.

First, Round-Up’s affects on plant health.
Microbiologist Robert Kremer USDA-ARS (US Department of Agriculture- Agricultural Research Service) was interviewed recently in the online “The Organic & Non-GM Report,” where he explained his concerns with glyphosate’s (Round-Up) impact on plant health. He was quoted as saying the compound “This system is altering the whole soil biology.” He expanded the observations, noting that “glyphosate can have toxic effects on microorganisms and can stimulate them to germinate spores and colonize root systems. Other researchers are showing that glyphosate can immobilize manganese, an essential plant micronutrient.”

In this month’s issue, the editors interviewed retired Purdue University Emeritus Professor of Plant Pathology, Dr. Don Huber. He said that glyphosate can “significantly increase the severity of various plant diseases, impair plant defense to pathogens and diseases, and immobilize soil and plant nutrients rendering them unavailable for plant use.” And that glyphosate stimulates the growth of fungi and enhances the virulence of pathogens such as Fusarium and “can have serious consequences for sustainable production of a wide range of susceptible crops.”

This all builds on an important work I have written about before…”Healthy Crops, A New Agricultural Revolution” by Francis Chaboussou. In it, he looks at 75 years of similar research on not just glyphosate, but many pesticides, herbicides and nitrogen-heavy fertilizers, and their negative impacts on disease and pest problems. I felt he showed clearly that while the compounds might solve a problem, they usually created others. Others that then required spraying of toxic compounds, which have the same affect. And the circle goes ‘round and the grower pays. Less toxic approaches might actually reduce other input costs…it at least deserves a closer, open-minded look.

GM Bt Cotton Causes Pest Explosion
And then, from China comes a report about a recent disaster that resulted from planting Bt cotton. Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) is one of best know “natural” insecticides, with the organism successfully controlling several pest outbreaks (various caterpillars). Then, it was inserted genetically into crops, including cotton, where it offered bollworm control. And that part of the equation worked, so growers could stop spraying toxic chemicals. Looked like a win-win.

But then, the fields became infested with another pest, the Mirid Bug, causing serious damage. Scientists determined that the June spraying for bollworms had also knocked back the entire insect community, including other pest species and their natural predators. With no controls, in this case, the Mirid Bug won the race, finding a vast, rich food source, and quickly expanding its populations. It has even moved into other crops such as apples, strawberries, pears, peaches and vegetables, where it had never been a problem. All this started following the switch to Bt crops in 1997, showing up first in cotton in 2000, and moving to other crops by 2005. It seems their only short-term answer is go back to spraying, after paying more the Bt-cotton.

So, again unintended consequences. The GM technology still holds promise to help with world nutrition. The idea and reality of foods that create extra vitamins (improved rice variety) with the help of added genetic information could save lives. But, first it is caution with this new “tool.” It needs more study, more testing in the complexity of an environmental system, to understand those consequences. From these latest reports, it seems to solve single problems only to create others. Not a sustainable system.

For more:
• “Scientist warns of dire consequences with widespread use of glyphosate”, The Organic & Non-GMO Report, May 2010, @ http://www.non-gmoreport.com/articles/may10/consequenceso_widespread_glyphosate_use.php

• “Scientist finding many negative impacts of Roundup Ready GM crops, USDA doesn’t want to publicize studies showing negative impact2, The Organic & Non-GMO Report, January 2010, @ http://www.non-gmoreport.com/articles/jan10/scientists_find_negative_impacts_of_GM_crops.php

Pest Invasion Tests Sustainable Strategies

Posted by sustainable_hort on March 21, 2010  |  No Comments

Sustainability requires a careful, optimized use of a farm’s natural systems. Healthy soil, right plants in the right places, IPM strategies and diversity are all used in successful farms. It can and has worked.

But, add an outside/alien invasive force…plant, disease or pest…and that natural system is taxed and cannot respond initially. Response is possible, but it would take at least years, if not decades.

So, the story rapidly developing around the Spotted Winged Drosophila (SWD) deserved the Portland Oregonian’s huge two-word headline…”CROP KILLER.” You may have read or heard about it. This invasive, Asian pest is causing near panic on the West Coast and particularly here in the berry and fruit production areas of Oregon. Florida has also found the pest. Just type the pest name into your search engine to find numerous sites describing and discussing the SWD.

It first appeared last summer and devastated some berry and fruit crops with its “voracious” appetite for ripening fruit. Most flies prefer over ripe or damaged fruit, not ripening ones. The damage destroys the fruit with frightening speed. OSU and other researchers have jumped in. There is and will be an interesting story as scientists, extension and growers race to find some control strategy. It is especially difficult since wild blackberries are common around the edges of the rich agricultural areas, a perfect host plant for the SWD to live and thrive on. Add to this the variety of hosts within any urban environment, many of which are not treated or sprayed…this is a serious test.

What is the test? Well, more precisely, what are the tests?

First, can the agricultural/governmental infrastructure organize an effective response? Do they have resources to bring together an educated, scientific team from various inter-related fields? As a community, or state, we have slowing been strangling our agricultural depth at places such as OSU, ODA, local and regional extension offices. It is a slow death by many cuts. Again, will we still have a coordinated army of specialists to deal with SWD?

Secondly, will the ODA, dealing with other states, be able to keep Oregon’s myriad of horticulture crops moving, both nationally and internationally? It is difficult enough to battle an invasive insect when the potential damage is more limited. But, this pest attacks, from the various descriptions, across the range of berries and fruit. I am trying to find out if they like tomatoes. As a grower, this would change my tried and true systems.

Which leads to a third question…what do the organic growers do?
Conventional growers have a list of weapons that will work. But, it still adds to their projected costs which with most crops would impact bottom lines. Organic growers do not know enough yet to identify even a control possibility. They need to know if “fruit” might later include not only tomatoes, but many varieties…peppers, eggplant, squash. Any organic option will require many applications and this pest is prolific…10 generations a summer, over 100 eggs per female…you do the numbers.

Once all the crops in danger are indentified, then strategies can be developed. In some cases, I may go for a literal cover strategy…closed hoop houses, possibly enclosing with row crop floating covers. But this is a very tiny fly, so there is question what will keep them away?

Meanwhile, this type of challenge seems to support the idea of more diversity in the growing of many crops; and more smaller, local producers serving surrounding communities. This lessens the opportunity for pests moving into vital food chains. I mean, Oregon’s blueberry fields and peach orchards must have looked like SWD nirvana…”here’s a neighborhood we can settle in.”

At this point it’s more questions and a scramble for information. Stay tuned.