An interesting article from the USDA research service talks about damage from Roundup. Its conclusion that Roundup may cause fungal root disease may be of interest to daffodilians. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/12/us-glyphosate-idUSTRE77B58A20110812 “Repeated use of the chemical glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup herbicide, impacts the root structure of plants, and 15 years of research indicates that the chemical could be causing fungal root disease, said Bob Kremer, a microbiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service.” Melissa
All Categories
A discussion forum for daffodil enthusiasts around the world.
Loyce:
I would be happy to call fusarium (basal rot) a fungal root disease, and that is indeed what I had in mind in sending the note. Since I haven’t read the original technical article I don’t know yet just what they quantified. If I find out more I’ll let you know.
Melissa
At 08:33 AM 8/13/2011,
wrote:
Loyce:
I’ve found an original paper that links Fusarium oxysporum (the cause of Basal Rot) to Roundup.
Here’s a link to the paper:
http://ddr.nal.usda.gov/dspace/bitstream/10113/6894/1/IND43874062.pdf
The issue seems to be that the plant loses resistance to Fusarium when treated with glyphosate (Roundup). Stated another way, the disease is more severe when glyphosate is present in the soil along with the pathogen.
While the paper is primarily concerned with sugar beet, it mentions that similar inhibition of similar metabolic pathways occurs in both soybeans and tomatoes. These are three dissimilar plants, and it follows that one might also expect similar effects across a broad spectrum of the plant kingdom.
Finally, it says:
" Glyphosate application has been reported to increase propagules of Fusarium in soil, changing the inoculum level in the agroecosystem. Furthermore, glyphosate application has made other crops susceptible to normally non-pathogenic isolates of Fusarium , so raising concerns about new pathogenic threats to GR sugar beet, which serves as a symptomless host for certain Fusarium isolates. Lastly, glyphosate can reduce the number of potential antagonists to pathogens in field soil and alter the interaction among fungi on media and in soil."
This is not proof that Roundup has a detrimental effect in Narcissus by promoting Fusarium infection and basal rot. However, it is a cautionary note that some may wish to heed, and perhaps an example of the old saying "there is no free lunch".
Melissa
At 09:21 AM 8/13/2011,
wrote: