The Rise of Superweeds and What to Do About It

The document examines the proliferation of glyphosate-resistant weeds across approximately 60 million acres of U.S. cropland, attributing the crisis to the 'perfect storm' of monoculture, overreliance on a single herbicide, and the neglect of nonchemical control methods. It criticizes the agribusiness industry's proposal to introduce crops resistant to more toxic herbicides like dicamba and 2,4-D, warning that this will accelerate the evolution of multiple-herbicide resistance and increase environmental and health risks. Instead, the authors propose agroecological solutions—such as crop rotation, cover crops, and biodiversity—which they claim could reduce herbicide use by over 90% while maintaining yields. The brief concludes with recommendations for the USDA and Congress to fund sustainable weed control and support organic farming transitions.

• Approximately 60 million acres of U.S. cropland are infested with 'superweeds' that are immune to herbicides, leading to increased farmer costs and the use of more toxic chemicals.
• The rapid spread of glyphosate-resistant weeds is caused by three intersecting practices: the use of monoculture, an overreliance on glyphosate alone, and the abandonment of nonchemical weed control measures like crop rotation.
• The adoption of Roundup Ready crops has not reduced overall pesticide use; instead, total pesticide use is estimated to be 404 million pounds higher than it would have been without these crops.
• In the southeastern United States, the infestation is particularly severe, with reports that 92 percent of cotton and soybean fields are infested.
• The industry's proposed solution—introducing crops resistant to dicamba and 2,4-D—is likely to increase herbicide use and risk the creation of weeds with multiple resistances.
• Agroecological practices, including crop rotation, cover crops, and the use of mulches, could potentially reduce herbicide use by more than 90% without compromising farmer profits or yields.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2013). The Rise of Superweeds and What to Do About It. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/rise-of-superweeds.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. The Rise of Superweeds and What to Do About It. 2013. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/rise-of-superweeds.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=The Rise of Superweeds and What to Do About It |date=December 2013 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/rise-of-superweeds.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2013rise, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{The Rise of Superweeds and What to Do About It}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2013}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/rise-of-superweeds.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }