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The introduction of glyphosate tolerant (GT) crops has been the one of the most significant technological changes in agriculture, along with mechanization and hybrid seed breeding. Farmers around the world are reaping the benefits of a simplified weed control system, saving costs, time and labor and increasing operational flexibility. Adoption has been rapid, particularly in the Americas. In the most important soybean growing US states, Brazil and Argentina around 90% of crops are GT. Globally 148 million ha were sown to GM crops across 29 countries in 2010 of which close to 90 million...

Rice is the staple food for more than half the world. In Asia alone, more than two billion people obtain over 60% of their calories from rice. In developing countries nearly one billion people find employment associated with rice in the food chain. It is the most rapidly growing source of food in Africa and is critical to food security.
Protecting rice from weeds, pests and diseases is essential to avoiding heavy losses in yield. Weed control is usually most important. Paraquat is used to prepare the land for cultivating rice and on the bunds (levies) which surround paddy fields...

Controlling weeds in potatoes is a problem for many farmers. Paraquat is a very useful herbicide for potatoes because it can be used to burndown weeds from before planting right up to the point at which the potato sprouts start to emerge from the soil¹. This allows for weed control measures to be tailored to the weeds present. As potatoes may take up to four weeks to emerge, significant weed growth may have occurred after planting. Weeds can quickly overrun potato crops if they are allowed to grow unchecked before the crop leaf canopy closes².
They compete...

Oil palm is the world’s leading vegetable oil crop. As a foodstuff, palm oil is believed to have several important benefits, particularly in lowering the risk of heart disease. As a very high yielding crop, it has become a major feedstock for biodiesel production. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil has been established to ensure that as production rises environmental issues such as biodiversity and soil erosion are addressed. Integrated pest management (IPM) approaches are widely used and ensure that crops are protected in a sustainable way.
Paraquat has a key role in...

Paraquat has been found to be an effective ‘fire fighting’ treatment for large glyphosate resistant Palmer amaranth, sometimes called a ‘superweed’. Researchers at the University of Georgia, USA, have found that applying paraquat through weed wipers and similar implements can very effectively kill Palmer amaranth plants up to 5ft (1.50 m) tall¹. While paraquat is very effective on smaller weeds, glyphosate’s systemic action generally makes it a better option on large weeds. However, where there are glyphosate resistant weeds an innovative...

The Chemical Review Committee (CRC) of the Rotterdam Convention¹ reviewed the amended notification from Sweden at its meeting in Geneva in March 2010. The Committee agreed that the notification did not meet the specified requirements. Accordingly, and as earlier notifications from other countries did not meet the criteria either, paraquat as a substance was not put forward in the process to include it in the list of chemicals subject to the Prior Informed Consent procedure.
A proposal from Burkina Faso to list Gramoxone® Super as a Severely Hazardous Pesticide...

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has begun to implement its strategy for Sustainable Crop Production Intensification (SCPI). By 2050, FAO estimates that to feed each person on the planet there will only be 0.16 ha of agricultural land available, compared 0.26 ha in 1999 and 0.4 ha in 1960, hence the need to intensify production. The goal of SCPI is to support countries and their farmers to grow more food and the focus will be on developing technologies and policies that will ensure sustainability^1,2.
Conservation Agriculture
In practice, this will be...

Lower costs and favorable environmental effects when using paraquat: these were the key conclusions from a four-year comparison of weed control methods in bananas, recently completed by the University of the Philippines.
The trial was conducted on a commercial plantation on Mindanao, the large southern island of the country. Bananas make a significant contribution to the economy of the Philippines being a major fruit export. New plantations are being established on more sloping land where soil erosion poses a real threat to sustainable production. Filipino authorities estimate...

Bananas are a staple food for 400 million people, grown in 130 countries. Banana plantations are often fragile environments where paraquat plays an important role extending beyond weed control. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation ranks bananas as the world’s fourth most important crop after the major cereals. Bananas provide energy, are fat-free and rich in potassium and vitamins.
Banana plantations can be fragile environments in which soil, water and biodiversity all need special care. Weeds, pests and diseases flourish in tropical climates if unchecked. Integrated pest...