Why have genetically modified herbicide tolerant plants been developed?
These types of plants were developed to help farmers control weeds that compete with crops for soil, space, water, and sunlight. Farmers who choose to plant a crop that tolerates a specific herbicide can use that herbicide to spray their fields. This eliminates weeds without risking their crops, thereby helping farmers to produce higher yields of their crops. The herbicide destroys the weeds in the field, but the herbicide-tolerant plant is not affected. Farmers may also choose to use herbicide-tolerant plants for environmental reasons. Using herbicide-tolerant plants may mean releasing fewer herbicides into the environment, or using herbicides that are less harmful to the environment (such as those that break down quickly). It can also mean that the farmer doesn’t have to come in direct contact with the herbicide, as happens when it is sprayed several times on a field.
