DETOX LETS CROPS RESIST HERBICIDE

Abstract

CROPS ENGINEERED TO PROduce an enzyme capable of N -acetylating the widely used, environmentally friendly herbicide glyphosate—a modification that renders glyphosate nontoxic—are resistant to the weed killer, according to a new study. If it's commercialized, this novel strategy could spark competition and further innovation in the lucrative market for glyphosate-tolerant crops, worth nearly $2.2 billion in 2002. The world's top-selling herbicide, glyphosate —originally trademarked by Monsanto as Roundup—kills weeds by inhibiting an enzyme that plants rely on to biosynthesize the aromatic amino acids they require to grow. Glyphosate is widely used in combination with Monsanto-brand Roundup Ready crops, which are engineered to contain a glyphosate-immune microbial version of this enzyme. This allows farmers to spray entire fields with the herbicide, killing the weeds but not their crops. Now, plant scientist Linda A. Castle of Redwood City, Calif.-based Verdia and her colleagues at Verdia and Pioneer Hi-Bre...