Glyphosate:
Environmentalists have raised concern over the alleged use of glyphosate on forest department land for pea cultivation in parts of Himachal Pradesh.
- Glyphosate is a widely used herbicide that can kill certain weeds and grasses.
- It is considered a broad-spectrum herbicide, meaning it can effectively control a wide variety of plants, including grasses, broadleaf plants, and woody plants.
- It works by inhibiting an enzyme called EPSP synthase, which is essential for the synthesis of certain amino acids that plants need for growth.
- It disrupts this enzyme; glyphosate interferes with the plant’s ability to produce proteins, leading to the eventual death of the plant.
- It is effective only on plants that grow above the water.
- It will not be effective on plants that are submerged or have most of their foliage underwater, nor will it control regrowth from seed.
- It is degraded in soil and water by microbes and binds tightly to soil particles, which prevents the leaching of glyphosate into groundwater.
- It does not degrade quickly in plants. As a result, it is possible that glyphosate residues can occur in food products.
