One result of modern agriculture and its reliance on herbicides is the emergence of weed populations that are resistant to them.

All natural weed populations, regardless of the application of an herbicide, probably contain individual plants (biotypes) that are resistant to herbicides. Repeated use of any herbicide will expose weed populations to selection pressure that may lead to an increase in the number of surviving, resistant individuals in the population. Consequently, the resistant weed population may increase to a point where adequate weed control cannot be achieved via the application of that herbicide. Sometimes dubbed “superweeds”, these are presenting a challenge to farmers everywhere.

In 2012, our teams introduced Roundup Ready PLUS^®, a platform to help farmers increase the benefits of their Roundup Ready crops by combining herbicide use with weed control best practices and financial incentives for following the program. This platform was designed to improve on-farm productivity, sustain the benefits of conservation tillage, and provide effective weed management for tough to control or resistant weeds.

The primary focus of the platform is to retard further development of tolerance to herbicide products and focus on training programs. We know the solution doesn’t just rest on Monsanto products. We’re focused on training and supporting farmers to use the best proactive weed resistant management strategies available. We know that it’s only through innovative practices, products and information that farmers are able to combat these resistant weeds that are a threat to their livelihoods.