Summary
This narrative review synthesises the literature on claims that glyphosate-resistant crops suffer from mineral deficiencies and increased disease pressure. The authors conclude that most published data do not support hypotheses of substantive mineral nutrition or disease problems specific to glyphosate-resistant crops, despite conflicting findings in some studies. Yield data from glyphosate-resistant systems are consistent with normal agronomic performance, suggesting that the GR trait and glyphosate application do not cause systematic agronomic disadvantages.
Regional applicability
The review synthesises global literature and is directly applicable to United Kingdom glyphosate-resistant crop cultivation; however, it should be noted that glyphosate-resistant crop adoption in the UK has been limited compared to North America, which may affect the breadth of UK-specific evidence included. Transferability is high for understanding herbicide-trait interactions in temperate arable systems.
Key measures
Mineral nutrient concentrations in plant tissues; crop disease incidence and severity; grain/biomass yield in glyphosate-resistant vs. conventional crops; effects of glyphosate application on rhizosphere microbial communities
Outcomes reported
This review evaluated published literature on whether glyphosate-resistant crops exhibit mineral deficiencies, altered rhizosphere microbiota, or increased disease susceptibility. The analysis synthesised evidence on mineral nutrition, crop disease incidence, and yield performance in glyphosate-resistant systems.
Topic tags
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