Roundup Ready Cotton

Roundup Ready Cotton (RR Cotton) is genetically engineered cotton that has had its DNA altered to allow it to withstand the herbicide glyphosate (the active ingredient in Monsanto's herbicide Roundup). It is sometimes referred to as "glyphosate tolerant" cotton. When planting Roundup Ready cotton, a farmer can spray the entire crop with Roundup, killing only the weeds and leaving the cotton alive. However, one concern with the heavy use of Roundup on Roundup Ready crops is that it will lead to the development of Roundup resistant weeds (sometimes referred to as "superweeds").

Impacts of RR Cotton
For more information, see the article on Roundup Ready Crops.

Impact on Herbicide Use
Predictably, the introduction of Roundup Ready cotton resulted in an increase of glyphosate (Roundup) use. This was not only because farmers could now spray their entire fields with glyphosate, but also because of "weed shifts," as weeds with some natural resistance to glyphosate became bigger problems following the adoption of RR cotton and the ubiquitous reliance on glyphosate that accompanied it. Then, after several years of widespread adoption of RR cotton, weeds began to evolve resistance to glyphosate. Specifically, between 1996 and 2008, the glyphosate rate of application per crop year has tripled on cotton farms.


 * "In cotton, the average rate of glyphosate rose from 0.63 pounds in 1996 to 1.89 pounds in 2007 — clearly good news for the manufacturers of glyphosate herbicides, but bad news for farmers and the environment. Most of this increase was driven by the need to make additional Roundup applications. One application of glyphosate brought about adequate control in 1996 on most cotton farms. Just two years later, 1.5 applications were necessary. By 2003, an average of two applications were made, and by 2007, 2.4 applications. During this time period, the average one-time rate of application went up by 25%, from 0.63 to 0.79 pounds per cotton acre. Glyphosate use on cotton per crop year rose 18.2% per year from 1996 to 2007 as a result of the introduction of RR cotton."


 * "During the first five years of use, HT upland cotton reduced the total volume of herbicides used per acre, an outcome brought about by the high degree of efficacy of glyphosate in the early years of HT crops. By crop year 2001, each acre of HT cotton required more herbicide than the average conventional cotton acre. The margin of difference rose incrementally over the next decade, reaching 0.65 pounds per acre in 2008."

History
1990s:
 * February 14, 1995: Monsanto petitions the U.S. to deregulate MON 1445 and MON 1698.
 * July 11, 1995: U.S. deregulates Monsanto's MON 1445 and MON 1698.
 * December 19, 1996: Canada deregulates Monsanto's MON 1445.
 * 1997: Monsanto introduces MON 1445, branding it "Roundup Ready® Cotton."

2000s:
 * March 26, 2004: Monsanto petitions the U.S. to deregulate MON 88913.
 * December 20, 2004: U.S. deregulates Monsanto's MON 88913.
 * November 16, 2005: Canada deregulates MON 88913.
 * 2006: Monsanto begins selling MON 88913, branding it "Roundup Ready® Flex Cotton."
 * November 28, 2006: Bayer CropScience petitions the U.S. to deregulate its variety GHB614
 * March 13, 2008: Canada deregulates Bayer CropScience's GHB614
 * May 22, 2009: U.S. deregulates Bayer CropScience's GHB614
 * 2009: Bayer begins selling its GHB614 cotton, branding it Glytol™.

2010s:
 * 2010: Monsanto rebrands its products "Genuity™ Roundup Ready® Cotton" (MON 1445) and "Genuity™ Roundup Ready® Flex Cotton" (MON 88913)

Brands and Manufacturers
Monsanto:
 * Genuity™ Roundup Ready® Cotton (MON 1445)
 * Genuity™ Roundup Ready® Flex Cotton (MON 88913)
 * Genuity® Bollgard II® with Roundup Ready® Flex Cotton (MON 15985 and MON 88913)

Bayer CropScience:
 * Glytol™ (GHB614)

Adoption Rates in the U.S.
Following the introduction of Roundup Ready cotton, its adoption by U.S. farmers grew. The USDA offers data on the percent of cotton in the U.S. that are herbicide tolerant between 2000 and 2012:
 * 2000: 46%
 * 2001: 56%
 * 2002: 58%
 * 2003: 59%
 * 2004: 60%
 * 2005: 61%
 * 2006: 65%
 * 2007: 70%
 * 2008: 68%
 * 2009: 71%
 * 2010: 78%
 * 2011: 73%
 * 2012: 80%

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Monsanto
 * Glyphosate
 * Roundup
 * Roundup Ready Crops
 * Biotechnology
 * Genetically Modified Organisms
 * Glyphosate Resistant Weeds

External resources

 * GM Crop Database, Center for Environmental Risk Assessment
 * Overview of GMO Events Commercially Available and Regulatory Status
 * Novel Food Decisions - Approved Products, Health Canada.
 * Charles Benbrook, "Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use: The First Thirteen Years" and Supplemental Tables, The Organic Center, 2009.
 * "Failure to Yield: Evaluating the Performance of Genetically Engineered Crops," Union of Concerned Scientists, 2009.