Do Environmental Effects of Herbicide-Resistant GM Plants Differ from Effects of Other Herbicide Resistant Plants?

Abstract

Genetic modification of crop plants has promoted concerns about potential environmental effects of this new technology. In this essay, I will discuss the environmental effects of genetic modification of crop plants using herbicide resistance as an example. Considering herbicide resistance as an old agricultural trait, it is difficult to find any reason to assess the environmental risks of genetically modified herbicide resistant plants differently from the risks of traditionally bred herbicide resistant plants.