Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding

360 CHAPTER 19
% injury/chlorosis
(a)
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Observations
(single and sequential applications of Roundup ®
used at projected rates and timings)
Figure 5 The crop safety of (a) the Roundup Ready® system versus (b) grower standard programs, showing that
there is virtually no crop injury from the use of Roundup Ready® wheat. (Source: Monsanto and University
1999–2003 US field trials.)
% yield difference
(relative to competetive
standard)
80
60
40
20
0
–20
–40
0
Number of observations
(single and sequential application
of Roundup ® Average yield
of premium
standard
treatments
20 40 60 80 100
used at projected
rates and timings)
Figure 6 Results showing that Roundup Ready® wheat
consistently yields better than wheat treated with the best
commercial standard treatments. (Source: Monsanto and
University 1999–2003 US field trials.)
% injury/chlorosis
(b)
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
50 100 150 200 250 300
Observations
(herbicide program varies by observation;
herbicides used at labeled rates and timings)
Agency (EPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
USDA, and other regulatory agencies in Canada, Europe,
Japan, etc.; (ii) developing commercial varieties that contain
the new trait; (iii) developing agronomic and stewardship
practices for the trait; and (iv) developing benefits data
for growers, consumers, and the internal marketing and
salespeople who will promote the product.
Questions are asked such as: When do you apply the
herbicide? At what rate? Are split applications beneficial?
How does rate and timing affect residue levels in grain or
forage? How do you control volunteers? To what extent is
outcrossing an issue? Are there any data published in the literature?
Has end-use quality been affected? Can you optimize
yields in the system? What about crop rotations? What
is the most productive way to use this technology in a total
cropping system? Has the feed efficiency of livestock been
affected?
Monsanto conducted more than 48 formal regulatory
studies, which demonstrated the substantial equivalence
and safety of Roundup Ready® wheat compared to conventional
wheat. These studies fall into two categories: (i)
compositional analysis to ensure that Roundup Ready®
wheat is substantially equivalent to standard wheat vari-
eties in components important for human and animal nutrition, and that no unapproved food additives are present (Obert et al.
2004); and (ii) safety studies to ensure that Roundup Ready® wheat contains no increase in allergens, toxicants, or antinutrients
when compared to standard wheat varieties (Goodman et al. 2003).
Additional marketplace-support studies demonstrated feeding equivalence for hogs (Hyun et al. 2005) and chickens (Kan &
Hartnell 2004), as well as weed control and yield optimization (Blackshaw & Harker 2003). Between 2001 and 2004, Monsanto
scientists or public scientists who are developing a basic database or evaluating the technology, published more than 39 scientific
presentations, posters, and peer-reviewed journal articles.
Years of work and research demonstrates the successful transfer of the Roundup Ready® technology to wheat – meeting or
exceeding all selection criteria and resulting in a product that provides 95–100% dependable, cost-effective control of all weeds,
often with only a single 26 oz/acre application of Roundup UltraMax®. In addition, Roundup Ready® wheat optimizes the yield
potential by incurring less stress due to herbicide injury (Figure 5) and by decreasing the quantity of weeds capable of competing
with the wheat crop for available water and nutrients. This has resulted in a consistent 5–15% yield increase over conventional
wheat treated with conventional herbicides (Figure 6).