Herbicide Tolerance in Crops: A Commercial Reality

Abstract

Weed infestation of crops causes extensive loss in the production of our food. Estimations range from 10 to 30% of crop yield annually. Despite a multitude of herbicides being available to farmers, there are considerable limitations in their effectiveness. With this in mind, engineering herbicide tolerance in crops has been seen as a worthy agricultural and commercial goal. In this short review we will present the reasons for such a goal and the strategies and technologies for gene transfer to confer herbicide tolerance in crops. We will finish by a market evaluation of what is now and will be available by the next century.