IT CERTAINLY seems like a good idea. Plant a crop genetically modified to be resistant to a broad-spectrum herbicide like glyphosate, and you can wipe out all the weeds with a couple of applications of the chemical. There is no need even to plough the fields before planting, which reduces soil erosion and the amount of carbon released to the atmosphere.
Unfortunately, things aren’t that simple. Seeds left in the fields from the previous season’s crop will turn up as unwanted “volunteers” that can only be killed with a different herbicide. And after a few seasons of growing the same crop in the same field weeds…
