ICTA colloquium cancelled- "Transgenic Treadmill: Responses to the emergence and spread of Glyphosate-Resistant Johnsongrass in Argentina". Thursday 22 January (Sala de Juntes, 12:30)

Rosa Binimelis The broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate has become the largest-selling crop-protection product worldwide. The increased use of glyphosate is associated with the appearance of a growing number of tolerant or resistant weeds, with socio-environmental consequences besides loss of productivity. In 2002, a glyphosate-resistant biotype of johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense (L.)) appeared in Argentina, now covering at least 10.000 hectares. This paper analyzes the driving forces behind the emergence and spread of this weed. Management responses and their implications are also examined. Preventing strategies against glyphosate-resistant johnsongrass fail because of the institutional setting. Reactive measures, however, imply transferring the risks to the society and the environment through the introduction of novel genetically modified crops, that allows the use of yet more herbicide. This in turn reinforces the emergence of herbicide-resistant weeds, constituting a new phenomenon of intensification, the "transgenic treadmill".