What to do when over-zealous pesticide use exacerbates pest management problems – Agroecological alternatives to herbicides Open Lecture
Thursday, March 9, 2017 at 12:20pm to 1:10pm
Emerson Hall, 135, Cornell University
Agroecological Alternatives to Herbicides: The prevailing form of agriculture performed today suffers from “lock-in” which is to say the production system has features that limit it’s ability to redirect. One such feature is genetically modified herbicide resistant crops. Widespread adoption of the package of seed and associated traits, matching herbicides and insecticide and fungicide seed treatments has resulted in significant increases in pesticide use. Mortensen will outline how this lock-in has evolved, the downside effects of lock-in then spend the remainder of the seminar outlining recent agroecological advances that offer a glimpse to a more sustainable path forward.