[Scpg] Fwd: Monsanto's Roundup Triggers Over 40 Plant Diseases and Endangers Human and Animal Health
Barbara Wishingrad
seaandmts2 at yahoo.com
Thu Jan 20 13:45:28 PST 2011
Please forward this to your email list, to newspapers and other media,
and to farmers. Please put Secretary Vilsack's email address,
AgSec at usda.gov, in the CC line each time.
>
>The following article reveals the devastating and unprecedented impact
>that Monsanto's Roundup herbicide is having on the health of our soil,
>plants, animals, and human population. On top of this perfect
>storm, the USDA now wants to approve Roundup Ready alfalfa, which will
>exacerbate this calamity. Please tell USDA Secretary Vilsack not to
>approve Monsanto's alfalfa by using the sample letter on our website
>here.
>
>To share this article via Facebook please click here. Permission is
>granted to publish and post freely.
>View this article on our website.
>
by Jeffrey M. Smith
>
Monsanto's Roundup Triggers Over 40 Plant Diseases and
Endangers Human and Animal Health
>
While visiting a seed corn dealer's demonstration plots in Iowa last fall,
Dr. Don Huber walked passed a soybean field and noticed a distinct
line separating severely diseased yellowing soybeans on the right
from healthy green plants on the left (see photo). The yellow
section was suffering from Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), a serious plant
disease that ravaged the Midwest in 2009 and '10, driving down
yields and profits. Something had caused that area of soybeans to be
highly susceptible and Don had a good idea what it was.
>
The diseased field on the right had glyphosate applied the previous
season.Photo by Don Huber
>
Don Huber spent 35 years as a plant pathologist at Purdue University and
knows a lot about what causes green plants to turn yellow and die
prematurely. He asked the seed dealer why the SDS was so severe in the one
area of the field and not the other. "Did you plant something there
last year that wasn't planted in the rest of the field?" he asked. Sure
enough, precisely where the severe SDS was, the dealer had grown
alfalfa, which he later killed off at the end of the season by
spraying a glyphosate-based herbicide (such as Roundup). The healthy part
of the field, on the other hand, had been planted to sweet corn and hadn't
received glyphosate.
>
This was yet another confirmation that Roundup was triggering SDS.
In many fields, the evidence is even more obvious. The disease was
most severe at the ends of rows where the herbicide applicator looped back
to make another pass (see photo). That's where extra Roundup was applied.
>
Don's a scientist; it takes more than a few photos for him to draw
conclusions. But Don's got more-lots more. For over 20 years, Don studied
Roundup's active ingredient glyphosate. He's one of the world's experts.
And he can rattle off study after study that eliminate any doubt that
glyphosate is contributing not only to the huge increase in SDS, but to
the outbreak of numerous other diseases. (See selected
reading list.)
>
Sudden Death Syndrome is more severe at the ends of rows, where
Roundup dose is strongest.Photo by Amy Bandy.
>
Roundup: The perfect storm for plant disease
>
More than 30% of all herbicides sprayed anywhere contain
glyphosate-the world's bestselling weed killer. It was patented by
Monsanto for use in their Roundup brand, which became more popular
when they introduced "Roundup Ready" crops starting in 1996. These
genetically modified (GM) plants, which now include soy, corn, cotton,
canola, and sugar beets, have inserted genetic material from viruses
and bacteria that allows the crops to withstand applications of normally
deadly Roundup.
>
(Monsanto requires farmers who buy Roundup Ready seeds to only use the
company's Roundup brand of glyphosate. This has extended the company's
grip on the glyphosate market, even after its patent expired in 2000.)
>
The herbicide doesn't destroy plants directly. It rather cooks up a unique
perfect storm of conditions that revs up disease-causing organisms
in the soil, and at the same time wipes out plant defenses against
those diseases. The mechanisms are well-documented but rarely cited.
>
* The glyphosate molecule grabs vital nutrients and doesn't let
them go. This process is called chelation and was actually the
original property for which glyphosate was patented in 1964. It was
only 10 years later that it was patented as an herbicide. When applied
to crops, it deprives them of vital minerals necessary for healthy
plant function-especially for resisting serious soilborne
diseases. The importance of minerals for protecting against disease is
well established. In fact, mineral availability was the single most
important measurement used by several famous plant breeders to
identify disease-resistant varieties.
> * Glyphosate annihilates beneficial soil organisms, such asPseudomonas
>andBacillus bacteria that live around the roots. Since they
>facilitate the uptake of plant nutrients and suppress disease-causing
>organisms, their untimely deaths means the plant gets even
>weaker and the pathogens even stronger.
>
> * The herbicide can interfere with photosynthesis, reduce water use
>efficiency, lower lignin , damage and shorten root systems, cause
>plants to release important sugars, and change soil pH-all of which
>can negatively affect crop health.
>
> * Glyphosate itself is slightly toxic to plants. It also breaks down
>slowly in soil to form another chemical called AMPA
>(aminomethylphosphonic acid) which is also toxic. But even the
>combined toxic effects of glyphosate and AMPA are not sufficient on
>their own to kill plants. It has been demonstrated numerous times
>since 1984
>
> * Glyphosate with sterile soil (A) only stunts plant
>growth. In normal soil (B), pathogens kill the plant.
>Control (C) shows normal growth.
>that when glyphosate is applied in sterile soil, the plant may
>be slightly stunted, but it isn't killed (see photo).
>>
* Theactual plant assassins, according to Purdue weed scientists and
others, are severe disease-causing organisms present in
almost all soils. Glyphosate dramatically promotes these, which in
turn overrun the weakened crops with deadly infections.
"This is the herbicidal mode of action of glyphosate," says Don. "It
increases susceptibility to disease, suppresses natural disease controls
such as beneficial organisms, and promotes virulence of soilborne
pathogens at the same time." In fact, he points out that "If you apply
certain fungicides to weeds, it destroys the herbicidal activity of
glyphosate!"
>
By weakening plants and promoting disease, glyphosate opens the door
forlots of problems in the field. According to Don, "There are more
than 40 diseases of crop plants that are reported to increase with the use
of glyphosate, and that number keeps growing as people recognize the
association between glyphosate and disease."
>
Roundup promotes human and animal toxins
>
Photo by Robert Kremer
>
Some of the fungi promoted by glyphosate produce dangerous toxins
that can end up in food and feed. Sudden Death Syndrome, for example, is
caused by theFusarium fungus. USDA scientist Robert Kremer found a 500%
increase inFusarium root infection of Roundup Ready soybeans when glyphosate is
applied (see photos and chart). Corn, wheat, and many other plants can
also suffer from seriousFusarium-based diseases.
>
ButFusarium's wrath is not limited to plants. According to areport
by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, toxins fromFusarium on
various types of food crops have been associated with disease outbreaks
throughout history. They've "been linked to the plague epidemics" of
medieval Europe, "large-scale human toxicosis in Eastern Europe,"
oesophageal cancer in southern Africa and parts of China, joint
diseases in Asia and southern Africa, and a blood disorder in
Russia.Fusarium toxins have also been shown to cause animal diseases and induce
infertility.
>
As Roundup use rises, plant disease skyrockets
>
When Roundup Ready crops were introduced in 1996, Monsanto boldly
claimed that herbicide use would drop as a result. It
did-slightly-for three years. But over the next 10 years, it grew
considerably. Total herbicide use in the US jumped by a whopping 383
million pounds in the 13 years after GMOs came on the scene. The greatest
contributor is Roundup.
>
Over time, many types of weeds that would once keel over with just a
tiny dose of Roundup now require heavier and heavier applications.
Some are nearly invincible. In reality, these super-weeds are resistant
not to the glyphosate itself, but to the soilborne pathogens that
normally do the killing in Roundup sprayed fields.
>
Having hundreds of thousands of acres infested with weeds that
resist plant disease and weed killer has been devastating to many US
farmers, whose first response is to pour on more and more Roundup. Its use
is now accelerating. Nearly half of the huge 13-year increase in
herbicide use took place in just the last 2 years. This hasserious
implications.
>
As US farmers drench more than 135 million acres of Roundup Ready crops
with Roundup, plant diseases are enjoying an unprecedented explosion
across America's most productive crop lands. Don rattles off a
lengthy list of diseases that were once under effective management
and control, but are now creating severe hardship. (The list
includes SDS and Corynespora root rot of soybeans, citrus variegated
chlorosis (CVC), Fusarium wilt of cotton, Verticillium wilt of potato,
take-all root, crown, and stem blight of cereals, Fusarium root and
crown rot, Fusarium head blight, Pythium root rot and damping off,
Goss' wilt of corn, and many more.)
>
In Brazil, the new "Mad Soy Disease" is ravaging huge tracts of soybean
acreage. Although scientists have not yet determined its cause, Don
points out that various symptoms resemble a rice disease (bakanae) which
is caused byFusarium.
>
Corn dies young
>
In recent years, corn plants and entire fields in the Midwest have
been dying earlier and earlier due to various diseases. Seasoned and
observant farmers say they're never seen anything like it.
>
"A decade ago, corn plants remained green and healthy well into
September," says Bob Streit, an agronomist in Iowa. "But over the last
three years, diseases have turned the plants yellow, then brown, about 8
to 10 days earlier each season. In 2010, yellowing started around
July 7th and yield losses were devastating for many growers."
>
Bob and other crop experts believe that the increased use of
glyphosate is the primary contributor to this disease trend. It has
already reduced corn yields significantly. "If the corn dies much
earlier," says Bob, "it might collapse the corn harvest in the US, and
threaten the food chain that it supports."
>
A question of bugs
>
In addition to promoting plant diseases, which is well-established,
spraying Roundup might also promote insects. That's because many bugs seek
sick plants. Scientists point out that healthy plants produce
nutrients in a form that many insects cannot assimilate. Thus,
farmers around the world report less insect problems among high
quality, nutrient-dense crops. Weaker plants, on the other hand,
create insect smorgasbords. This suggests that plants ravaged with
diseases promoted by glyphosate may also attract more insects, which in
turn will increase the use of toxic pesticides. More study is needed
to confirm this.
>
Roundup persists in the environment
>
Monsanto used to boast that Roundup is biodegradable, claiming that
it breaks down quickly in the soil. But courts in the US and Europe
disagreed and found them guilty of false advertising. In fact,
Monsanto's own test data revealed that only 2% of the product broke
down after 28 days.
>
Whether glyphosate degrades in weeks, months, or years varies widely
due to factors in the soil, including pH, clay , types of minerals,
residues from Roundup Ready crops, and the presence of the
specialized enzymes needed to break down the herbicide molecule. In some
conditions, glyphosate can grab hold of soil nutrients and remain
stable for long periods. One study showed that it took up to 22
years for glyphosate to degrade only half its volume! So much for
trusting Monsanto's product claims.
>
>Glyphosate can attack from above and below. It can drift over from a
>neighbors farm and wreak havoc. And it can even be released from dying
>weeds, travel through the soil, and then be taken up by healthy crops.
>
The amount of glyphosate that can cause damage is tiny. European
scientists demonstrated that less than half an ounce per acre
inhibits the ability of plants to take up and transport essential
micronutrients (see chart).
>
As a result, more and more farmers are finding that crops planted in
yearsafter Roundup is applied suffer from weakened defenses and
increased soilborne diseases. The situation is getting worse for
many reasons.
>
* The glyphosate concentration in the soil builds up season after
season with each subsequent application.
> *
>
> * Glyphosate can also accumulate for 6-8 years inside perennial
>plants like alfalfa, which get sprayed over and over.
>
> *
>
> * Wheat affected after 10 years of glyphosate field applications.
> * Glyphosate residues in the soil that become bound and immobilized
>can be reactivated by the application of phosphate fertilizers or
>through other methods. Potato growers in the West and Midwest, for
>example, have experienced severe losses from glyphosate that has been
>reactivated.
>
> *
>
> * Glyphosate can find its way onto farmland accidentally, through
>drifting spray, in contaminated water, and even through chicken
>manure!
Imagine the shock of farmers who spread chicken manure in their
fields to add nutrients, but instead found that the glyphosate in the
manure tied up nutrients in the soil, promoted plant disease, and killed
off weeds or crops. Test results of the manure showed
glyphosate/AMPA concentrations at a whopping 0.36-0.75 parts per million
(ppm). Thenormal herbicidal rate of glyphosate is about 0.5
ppm/acre.
>
Manure from other animals may also be spreading the herbicide, since
US livestock consume copious amounts of glyphosate-which accumulates
in corn kernels and soybeans. If itisn't found in livestock manure (or urine),
that may be even worse. If glyphosate is not exiting the animal, it must
be accumulating with every meal, ending up in our meat and possibly
milk.
>
Add this threat to the already high glyphosate residues inside our own
diets due to corn and soybeans, and we have yet another serious
problem threatening our health. Glyphosate has been linked to
sterility, hormone disruption, abnormal and lower sperm counts,
miscarriages, placental cell death, birth defects, and cancer, to
name a few. (See resource list on glyphosate health effects.)
>
Nutrient loss in humans and animals
>
The same nutrients that glyphosate chelates and deprives plants are also
vital for human and animal health. These include iron, zinc, copper,
manganese, magnesium, calcium, boron, and others. Deficiencies of these
elements in our diets, alone or in combination, are known to interfere
with vital enzyme systems and cause a long list of disorders and diseases.
>
Alzheimer's, for example, is linked with reduced copper and magnesium. Don
Huber points out that this disease has jumped 9000% since 1990.
>
Manganese, zinc, and copper are also vital for proper functioning of the
SOD (superoxide dismustase) cycle. This is key for stemming
inflammation and is an important component in detoxifying unwanted
chemical compounds in humans and animals.
>
Glyphosate-induced mineral deficiencies can easily go unidentified
and untreated. Even when laboratory tests are done, they can
sometimesdetect adequate mineral levels, but miss the fact that
glyphosate has already rendered them unusable.
>
Glyphosate can tie up minerals for years and years, essentially
removing them from the pool of nutrients available for plants, animals,
and humans. If we combine the more than 135 million pounds of
glyphosate-based herbicides applied in the US in 2010 with total
applications over the past 30 years, we may havealready eliminated millions of
pounds of nutrients from our food supply.
>
This loss is something we simply can't afford. We're already
suffering from progressive nutrient deprivation even without Roundup. In a
UK study, for example, they found between 16-76% less nutrients in 1991,
compared to levels in the same foods in 1940.
>
Livestock disease and mineral deficiency
>
>Roundup Ready crops dominate US livestock feed. Soy and corn are most
>prevalent-93% of US soy and nearly 70% of corn are Roundup Ready. Animals
>are also fed derivatives of the other three Roundup Ready crops: canola,
>sugar beets, and cottonseed. Nutrient loss from glyphosate can therefore
>be severe.
>
This is especially true for manganese (Mn), which is not only
chelated by glyphosate, but also reduced in Roundup Ready plants
(see photo). One veterinarian finds low manganese inevery livestock
liver he measures. Another vet sent the liver of a stillborn calf out for
testing. The lab report stated:No Detectible Levels of Manganese-in spite of the
fact that the mineral was in adequate concentrations in his region.
When that vet started adding manganese to the feed of a herd,
disease rates dropped from a staggering 20% to less than 1Ž2%.
>
Veterinarians who started their practice after GMOs were introduced
in 1996 might assume that many chronic or acute animal disorders are
common and to be expected. But several older vets have stated flat out
that animals have gotten much sicker since GMOs came on the scene.
And when they switch livestock from GMO to non-GMO feed, the
improvement in health is dramatic. Unfortunately, no one is tracking
this, nor is anyone looking at the impacts of consuming milk and meat from
GM-fed animals.
>
Alfalfa madness, brought to you by Monsanto and the USDA
>
As we continue to drench our fields with Roundup, the perfect storm
gets bigger and bigger. Don asks the sobering question: "How much of the
hundreds of millions of pounds of glyphosate that have been applied to our
most productive farm soils over the past 30 years is still available
to damage subsequent crops through its effects on nutrient
availability, increased disease, or reduced nutrient of our food and
feed?"
>
Instead of taking urgent steps to protect our land and food, the
USDA just made plans to make things worse. In December they released
their Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Roundup Ready alfalfa,
which Monsanto hopes to reintroduce to the market.
>
Alfalfa is the fourth largest crop in the US, grown on 22 million
acres. It is used primarily as a high protein source to feed dairy
cattle and other ruminant animals. At present, weeds are not a big
deal for alfalfa. Only 7% of alfalfa acreage is ever sprayed with an
herbicide of any kind. If Roundup Ready alfalfa is approved,
however, herbicide use would jump to unprecedented levels, and the weed
killer of choice would of course be Roundup.
>
Even without the application of glyphosate, the nutritional quality of
Roundup Ready alfalfa will be less, since Roundup Ready crops, by
their nature, have reduced mineral . When glyphosate is applied,
nutrient quality suffers even more (see chart).
>
The chance that Roundup would increase soilborne diseases in alfalfa
fields is a near certainty. In fact, Alfalfa may suffermore than other
Roundup Ready crops. As a perennial, it can accumulate Roundup year
after year. It is a deep-rooted plant, and glyphosate leaches into sub
soils. And "Fusarium is a very serious pathogen of alfalfa," says Don.
"So too arePhytophthora andPythium," both of which are promoted by
glyphosate. "Why would you even consider jeopardizing the productivity and
nutrient quality of the third most valuable crop in the US?" he asks
in frustration, "especially since we have no way of removing the gene once
it is spread throughout the alfalfa gene pool."
>
It's already spreading. Monsanto had marketed Roundup Ready alfalfa for a
year, until a federal court declared its approval to be illegal in 2007.
They demanded that the USDA produce an EIS in order to account for
possible environmental damage. But even with the seeds taken off the
market, the RR alfalfa that had already been planted has been
contaminating non-GMO varieties. Cal/West Seeds, for example, discovered
that more than 12% of their seed lots tested positive for
contamination in 2009, up from 3% in 2008.
>
In their EIS, the USDAdoes acknowledge that genetically modified alfalfa can
contaminate organic and non-GMO alfalfa, and that this could create
economic hardship. They are even considering the unprecedented step of
placing restrictions on RR alfalfa seed fields, requiring isolation
distances. Experience suggests that this will slow down, but not eliminate
GMO contamination. Furthermore, studies confirm that genesdo transfer from
GM crops into soil and soil organisms, and can jump into fungus
through cuts on the surface of GM plants. But the EIS does not
adequately address these threats and their implications.
>
Instead, the USDA largely marches lock-step with the biotech industry and
turns a blind eye to the widespread harm that Roundup isalready
inflicting. If they decide to approve Monsanto's alfalfa, the USDA may
ultimately be blamed for a catastrophe of epic proportions.
>
Please send a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, urging him
not to approve Roundup Ready alfalfa, and to fully investigate the
damage that Roundup and GMOs are already inflicting.
>
International bestselling author and filmmaker Jeffrey M. Smith
is the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology.
His first book, Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government
Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're
Eating, is the world's bestselling and #1 rated book on GMOs. His
second, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically
Engineered Foods, documents 65 health risks of the GM foods Americans
eat everyday. To help you choose healthier, non-GMO brands, use
the Non-GMO Shopping Guide.
>
>-------------------------------------------------
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