structural changes in soy stems associated with glyphosate resistance

Joel Brooks Gruver (jgruv@wam.umd.edu)
Fri, 19 Nov 1999 18:37:36 -0500 (EST)

Hello to all,
I just finished reading a New Scientist article (which can be accessed
at http://www.newscientist.com/ns/19991120/newsstory4.html)
which presents that "the bacterial enzyme that imparts resistance to
glyphosate (in soybeans) affects a major metabolic pathway in the plant
has the side effect of sending lignin production "into overdrive".
The article suggests that as a result of elevated lignin content or
possibly other unintentional structural changes, glyphosate resistant
soybean plants are more brittle and prone to structural damage when
subjected to heat stress than non resistant beans.

BTW the article mentions that the problem is most extreme when soil temps
reach 40 and 50 C... It is hard for me to imagine that soil temps could
get anywhere close to this hot under a transpiring soybean canopy...
or that any plant (GM or non GM) could function at such temperatures.

Does anyone have any comments on
this ?

Joel Gruver
Center for Agriculture, Food and Environment
Tufts University

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