Herbicide Tolerant Crops

Herbicide Tolerant Crops are crops genetically engineered to survive being sprayed with a specific herbicide. The first generation of HT crops included Roundup Ready Crops, made by Monsanto to resist spraying by its best selling herbicide Roundup (glyphosate) and Liberty Link Crops, which resist spraying by glufosinate. Roundup Ready Crops in particular were widely adopted, resulting in the evolution of glyphosate resistant weeds. With the reduced efficacy of Roundup Ready crops due to the so-called 'superweeds,' biotech companies began creating crops resistant to other herbicides. For example, Monsanto created soybeans resistant to the herbicide dicamba. Meanwhile, Dow created crops resistant to the herbicide 2,4-D.

List of Herbicide Tolerant Crops
Most herbicide tolerant crops fall into one of two categories:
 * Roundup Ready Crops (also known as "Glyphosate Tolerant" crops)
 * Glufosinate Tolerant Crops (also known as "Liberty Link" or "Phosphinothricin Tolerant" crops)

GE crops tolerant of other herbicides include:

2,4-D Tolerant Crops:
 * Dow AgroSciences: 2,4-D, Glyphosate and Glufosinate Tolerant Soybean (DAS-444Ø6-6), under review by the USDA for deregulation
 * Dow AgroSciences: 2,4-D and Glufosinate Tolerant Soybean (DAS-68416-4), under review by the USDA for deregulation
 * Dow AgroSciences: 2,4-D and ACCase-Inhibitor Tolerant Corn (DAS-40278-9), under review by the USDA for deregulation

ACCase Inhibitor Tolerant Crops:
 * Dow AgroSciences: 2,4-D and ACCase-Inhibitor Tolerant Corn (DAS-40278-9), under review by the USDA for deregulation

ALS-Inhibitor Tolerant Crops:
 * Pioneer Hi-Bred: Glyphosate & ALS-Inhibitor Tolerant Soybean (DP-356043-5), deregulated in the U.S. in 2008
 * Pioneer Hi-Bred: Glyphosate & ALS-Inhibitor Tolerant Corn (DP-098140-6), deregulated in the U.S. in 2009

Bromoxynil Tolerant Crops:
 * Calgene: Bromoxynil Tolerant Cotton, deregulated in the U.S. in 1994
 * Calgene: Bromoxynil tolerant & Lepidopteran Resistant Cotton (Events 31807 & 31808), deregulated in the U.S. in 1997.

Dicamba Tolerant Crops:
 * Monsanto: Dicamba Tolerant Soybean (MON-877Ø8-9), under review by the USDA for deregulation

Imidazolinone Tolerant Crops:
 * BASF: Imidazolinone Tolerant Soybean (BPS–CV127–9), under review by the USDA for deregulation

Isoxaflutole Tolerant Crops:
 * Bayer: Glyphosate and Isoxaflutole Tolerant Soybean (FG72), under review by the USDA for deregulation

Sulfonylurea tolerant crops:
 * DuPont: Sulfonylurea Tolerant Cotton (Event 19-51a), deregulated in the U.S. in 1996.
 * University of Saskatchewan, Flax tolerant to soil residues of sulfonylurea herbicide, CDC Triffid, deregulated in the U.S. in 1999.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Roundup Ready Crops
 * Liberty Link Crops
 * Dicamba Resistant Crops
 * 2,4-D Resistant Crops
 * Glyphosate Resistant Weeds
 * Monsanto
 * Dow
 * Glyphosate
 * Roundup
 * 2,4-D
 * Dicamba
 * Agent Orange
 * Biotechnology
 * Genetically Modified Organisms

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.

External articles

 * Dan Charles, "Farmers Face Tough Choice On Ways To Fight New Strains Of Weeds," NPR, March 7, 2012.
 * Jack Kaskey, "Attack of the Superweed: New strains resist Roundup, the world’s top-selling herbicide," Business Week, September 8, 2011.
 * Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, "Monsanto's Superweeds & Superbugs," Pesticide Action Network North America, GroundTruth blog, September 8, 2011.
 * Michael J. Coren, "Monsanto-Resistant Weeds Take Root, Raising Food Prices," Fast Company, July 20, 2011.
 * Tom Philpott, "Monsanto's "Superweeds" Gallop Through Midwest," Mother Jones, July 19, 2011.
 * William Neuman and Andrew Pollack, "Farmers Cope With Roundup-Resistant Weeds," New York Times, May 3, 2010.