A Review of the Current Panorama of Glyphosate Resistance among Weeds in Mexico and the Rest of the World

Abstract

Glyphosate is a non-selective broad-spectrum herbicide. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have classified it as probably carcinogenic to humans, the indiscriminate use of this herbicide in agriculture continues today, as a consequence of its low cost and effectiveness, as well as of the large number of generic products available. In addition to the adverse health effects, the massive use of glyphosate has caused environmental problems which have direct and indirect effects on agroecosystems. With the introduction of resistant transgenic crops, the use of this herbicide has increased fifteenfold since 1996. Just in the last 26 years, 350 cases of glyphosate resistance among weeds have been reported worldwide; however, multiple resistance has been recorded in 23 weed species in 17 countries around the world. In the future, the dependence on this herbicide will result in multiple resistance among weeds, not only in Mexico, but in more parts of the world than those that have been reported to date.