Why are there not more herbicide-tolerant crops?

• Published in: Pest management science Vol. 61; no. 3; pp. 312 - 317
• Main Author: Devine, M.D
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.03.2005; Wiley; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Agribusiness; Agriculture - economics; Agriculture - legislation & jurisprudence; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Brassica napus var. napus; canola; Chemical control; corn; cotton; Crop science; Crops, Agricultural - drug effects; Crops, Agricultural - economics; Crops, Agricultural - genetics; Drug Resistance - genetics; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetic engineering; Genetic engineering applications; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; glufosinate; glufosinate resistance; Glycine max; glyphosate; glyphosate resistance; Gossypium hirsutum; Helianthus annuus; herbicide resistance; herbicide-tolerant crops; Herbicides; Herbicides - pharmacology; literature reviews; Oryza sativa; Parasitic plants. Weeds; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; plant breeding; Plant breeding: fundamental aspects and methodology; Plants, Genetically Modified - drug effects; Research - economics; rice; soybeans; Time Factors; transgenic plants; Triticum aestivum; weed control; Weeds; wheat; Zea mays; glufosinate resistance; herbicide-tolerant crops; Pesticides; Organic phosphinate; Organic phosphonate; Systemic; Transgenic plant; Pesticide resistance; Glyphosate; glyphosate resistance; Herbicide
• ISSN: 1526-498X; 1526-4998
• DOI: 10.1002/ps.1023

Herbicide-tolerant (HT) varieties of corn, soybean, canola (oilseed rape) and cotton have been grown since the mid-1990s, and have been widely adopted by farmers in several countries. HT genes have been inserted into or selected for in many other species, including almost all major crop species in the world and many minor crops and ornamental species. In some cases this has been done specifically to introduce the HT trait, whereas in others the HT gene has been used as a selectable marker (eg the bar gene, conferring glufosinate-ammonium tolerance). However, in very few cases have the HT crops generated been commercialized, despite the weed-control advantages that many such crops would offer. There are several reasons for this, including the high research and development costs associated with developing the new HT crop cultivars, the high cost of obtaining regulatory clearance for the HT crops or products derived from them, international trade issues relating to genetically modified crops, and issues surrounding the expanded herbicide registration for the new use and the potential impact of this on the existing registration status of the herbicide. New HT crops are unlikely to be developed unless they offer a sufficiently large advantage to farmers and a substantial assured market to justify the associated development and regulatory costs.