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Trends in herbicide resistance in Latin America

Weeds significantly impact crop growth and productivity, posing a major challenge in Latin America, where agricultural productivity surged after the 1960s due to market regulation, economic openness, and land reform. Farmers heavily rely on herbicides as affordable weed control tools; however, repeated use of herbicides with a single action mode has led to herbicide-resistant weeds, threatening agricultural sustainability. This chapter examines agricultural productivity in Latin America, its importance to the region’s economy, and its role as a global food, feed, and bioenergy supplier. It also explores the regional climate’s impact on weeds, the effects of climate change on agriculture, and the development of herbicide-resistant crops, focusing on Brazil as a case study. The history of transgenic crops, from glyphosate-resistant soybeans to newer technologies like dicamba and 2,4-D-resistance traits, is discussed, highlighting their impact on weed management.
TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Pest Control, Pest control / plant diseases, TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Agriculture / Agronomy / Crop Science, TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Agriculture / Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable agriculture, Agronomy and crop production
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Agriculture in Latin America: an overview
- 3 Abiotic and biotic stresses associated with tropical environments
- 4 Herbicide usage in Latin America
- 5 Herbicide resistance in Latin America: an overview
- 6 Regional patterns of herbicide resistance: Central America and Mexico
- 7 Regional patterns of herbicide resistance: Columbia and Brazil
- 8 Regional patterns of herbicide resistance: Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay
- 9 Assessing the costs of herbicide resistance
- 10 Developments in herbicide-tolerant crops
- 11 Future trends in herbicide resistance in Latin America
- 12 Ways of dealing with herbicide resistance
- 13 Case study: dealing with herbicide resistance in Brazil
- 14 Conclusion
- 15 Where to look for further information
- 16 References