Some of the most advanced technologies can today be found in what is, for most people, an unexpected place: lush agricultural and recreational landscapes.

Fighting weeds and insects requires the best ideas from leading-edge scientists, balanced with the best ideas from the past, such as traditional farming practices that mitigate weed and insect issues without reliance on sophisticated chemicals.

I am continually watching trends in the pesticide and herbicide market, in order to ensure the safest and most effective choices for the acreage that I work on.

In recent decades, the market has been dominated by Monsanto, the large American company that was acquired by Bayer in 2018. Their most widely-known herbicide is Roundup. In my craft, Roundup is part of our toolbox; but every conscientious landscaper needs to be aware of its risks, limitations and collateral effects.

Researchers who have studied Roundup have chronicled its effectiveness in eliminating many common weeds. The product is unique in that it is designed to work in tandem with many of Monsanto’s own GMO crops. GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, are created with built-in resistance to Roundup. And “created” is the right word, as these plants and their seeds are designed in the laboratory using the latest biotechnology.

But researchers have also noticed that many weeds develop a resistance to Roundup, becoming so-called “superweeds.” As you can imagine, that’s an unwelcome term in my profession.

A Norwegian study published in  the journal Food Chemistry found that GMO soy plants have been internalizing the substantial doses of Roundup they receive, becoming increasingly resistant and even passing along the chemical to consumers. 

The researchers tested three types of soy: GMO grown in tandem with Roundup, soy grown conventionally with natural seeds, and organic soy. The GMO strain accounts for more than 93 percent of U.S. soy and an estimated 75 percent of worldwide production.

Monsanto designed its GMO soy around glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup. Monsanto soybeans are genetically engineered to thrive in fields treated with the chemical, while weeds wither away. But the weeds have adapted, and these new “superweeds” can only be stopped by greater concentrations of Roundup.

Dow Chemical has had a similar research and product development program for decades. Its GMO crops are engineered to be resistant to the herbicide 2,4-D. 

With the introduction of Dow’s 2,4-D-resistant corn and soybeans to the market more than a decade ago, agricultural use of 2,4-D increased dramatically to an estimated 176 million pounds per year in North America.

Monsanto and Dow have also applied their expertise to the management of insects, with Monsanto’s Bt corn being the most prominent example.

Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacterium. In the lab, Monsanto scientists transplanted its genes into nature’s original version of corn. The resulting genetically modified organism is Bt corn, featuring ears that produce Bt in their pollen. For bugs, that is significant, because Bt is a naturally occurring pesticide. 

That news was particularly bad for the European corn borer. The Bt toxin causes pores to form in the insect’s larval digestive tract, providing entry points for E. coli and other deadly pathogens. 

It’s a remarkable technology, but one that requires awareness across the agricultural food chain, from farmers to consumers. After all, it’s not only the European corn borer that is dining on Bt corn. It’s on our menu too.