Utilisation d'herbicides

Herbicide use has increased as a result of roundup+ roundup ready crop, which leads to damage to the environment, people

Facts

Mosanto has patented the herbicide properties of the glyphosate and has created Roundup, which became a success. The glyphosate is toxic for every non-OMG plant. It is the herbicide that is the most sold in the world.

The glyphosate is dangerous for the health. Experiments on animals have shown that 15% to 30% of the glyphosate consumed is absorbed by the body. Those herbicides can have various levels of toxicity but it can even kill humans. It can also bring health problems and malformations. A French study done by “Les Amis de la Terre” showed that three French persons out of 10 were infected by glyphosate. The herbicide may also be a cause of autism and other chronic diseases.

This herbicide is also bad for the environment. Indeed, this herbicide has been created to kill plants and it can have consequences on biodiversity and decrease the food for animals. The herbicide also infiltrates the soil and ends up in the water of the phreatic tables.

Ideas

“Alternative products exist which play the same role as Roundup® in weed management. Acetic acid, fatty acids, and essential oils can all act as herbicides.

Acetic acid, or vinegar, can be sprayed on weeds to “burn down” the plant. When sprayed on plants, it causes chemical burns which eat away at the foliage until there are no leaves remaining. On the downside, any plant the vinegar touches will be affected, so if the spray blows into your garden, it will hurt your vegetables. Also, the vinegar only attacks the leaves. It doesn’t contain a surfactant like POEA to carry it into the roots, so the weeds may grow back within a couple weeks. On the upside, the vinegar will quickly break down in the soil and water, meaning it won’t contaminate your lawn long-term and is safe to use near water or pavement. Acetic acid may even be safe to use in lake sediments against invasive plants, although this application is still being tested.

Certain fatty acids, often in the form of soaps, are presented as safe alternatives to Roundup®. The solutions work like vinegar (and often contain vinegar as an additive) insomuch as they burn the leaves of the plant. Soon after the first application, the soap becomes inactive, so it only works for a very short amount of time, and the weeds may return. The most common fatty acid, pelargonic acid, is considered to have very low toxicity and to be environmentally friendly. However, the other ingredients in commercial herbicides are just as important as the active, so before buying any herbicide, make sure to look at the inert ingredients!

Essential oils—such as clove, peppermint, pine, and citronella oils—have been growing in popularity as herbicides over the last several years. They operate like vinegar and soaps, wherein they burn the foliage, but not the roots unless surfactants are added. Unlike the other two, essential oils often are not fully effective because of the way they are introduced to the plants. A portion of the oil will evaporate away or become inactive in the soil before it has interacted with the plants. Most essential oils are not know to have the severe effects of Roundup® in aquatic ecosystems, but each oil has its own potential harms and benefits, so care should be taken when applying it.

If you are thinking more long-term about your landscape, there are other options for weed control. If the tried-and-true method of pulling weeds by hand just isn’t working for you, but you don’t want to spray chemicals all over your yard, consider rethinking how you maintain your lawn. Adding corn gluten, appropriate

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