# Roundup Ready > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Roundup_Ready > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Roundup_Ready.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundup_Ready > Source revision: 1351925382 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Trademark for genetically modified crop seeds}} {{More citations needed|date=September 2025}} [[File:Logo of Roundup Ready canola.svg|thumb|right|Logo of Roundup Ready for [genetically modified canola](/source/genetically_modified_canola)]] '''Roundup Ready''' is the [Bayer](/source/Bayer) (formerly [Monsanto](/source/Monsanto)) trademark for its patented line of [genetically modified crop](/source/genetically_modified_crop) seeds that are resistant to its [glyphosate](/source/glyphosate)-based herbicide, [Roundup](/source/Roundup_(herbicide)). The products have become so commonplace that trademark is occasionally [used eponymously](/source/Generic_trademark) for any [genetically modified herbicide resistance](/source/Genetically_modified_crops), regardless of actual product. ==History== In 1996, genetically modified ''Roundup Ready'' [soybeans](/source/soybeans) resistant to Roundup became commercially available, followed by ''Roundup Ready'' [corn](/source/maize) in 1998.{{Cite web |url=http://monsanto.com/monsanto/layout/about_us/timeline/default.asp |title=Monsanto Company History |publisher=Monsanto.com |date=2008-11-03 |accessdate=2010-08-22 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423174556/http://www.monsanto.com/monsanto/layout/about_us/timeline/default.asp |archivedate=2008-04-23 |url-status=dead }} Current ''Roundup Ready'' crops include [soy](/source/soy), [corn](/source/corn) (maize), [canola](/source/canola),{{Cite web|url=http://www.genuity.com/Traits/Specialty/Genuity-Roundup-Ready-Canola.aspx |title=Monsanto Genuity Roundup Ready canola trait |publisher=Genuity.com |date=2008-11-03 |accessdate=2010-08-22}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}} [sugar beets](/source/sugar_beets),{{Cite web|url=http://www.genuity.com/Traits/Specialty/Genuity-Roundup-Ready-Sugarbeets.aspx |title=Monsanto Genuity Roundup Ready sugarbeets trait |publisher=Genuity.com |date=2008-11-03 |accessdate=2010-08-22}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}} [cotton](/source/cotton), and [alfalfa](/source/alfalfa),[http://www.isaaa.org/gmapprovaldatabase/event/default.asp?EventID=11&Event=J101 ISSAA GM database approval entry for alfalfa event MON-00101] with [wheat](/source/wheat)[http://www.isaaa.org/gmapprovaldatabase/event/default.asp?EventID=237 ISAAA GM approval database entry for wheat event MON71800] still under development. Additional information on ''Roundup Ready'' crops is available on the [GM Crops List](/source/GM_Crops_List).[http://www.isaaa.org/gmapprovaldatabase/cropslist/default.asp International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications - GM Crop List] As of 2005, 87% of U.S. soybean fields were planted with glyphosate resistant varieties.USDA/APHIS Environmental Assessment — In response to Monsanto Petition 06-178-01p seeking a Determination of Non-regulated Status for Roundup Ready 2 Yield Soybean MON 89788, OECD Unique Identifier MON-89788-1, U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service + Biotechnology Regulatory Services page 13 [https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/06_17801p_ea.pdf]National Agriculture Statistics Service (2005) in Acreage eds. Johanns, M. & Wiyatt, S. D. 6 30, (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, DC). The use of Roundup Ready or glyphosate resistant seeds has led to the development of glyphosate resistant weeds.{{Cite web | title=Status and concerns for glyphosate resistance {{!}} Integrated Crop Management | url=https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/status-and-concerns-glyphosate-resistance | access-date=2025-12-01 | website=crops.extension.iastate.edu}} Although the number of glyphosate resistant weeds is low, the number of glyphosate resistant weed species is quickly growing, thus posing concerns for farmers who have relied on Roundup Ready seeds for weed control.{{Cite web| title=Facts About Glyphosate-Resistant Weeds | url=https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/gwc/gwc-1.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612013851/http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/GWC/GWC-1.pdf | archive-date=2010-06-12}} In 2016, as a response to the growth of glyphosate resistant weeds, Monsanto introduced ''Roundup Ready Xtend'' soybeans, modified to tolerate both [dicamba](/source/dicamba) and glyphosate. Xtend soybeans were planted on 1 million acres in 2016, and by 2020 were projected to be planted on 50 million acres.{{cite news |last1=Polansek |first1=Tom |last2=Nickel |first2=Rod |title=Bayer's top seed faces U.S. soybean challenge from Corteva |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-soybeans-seed-focus/bayers-top-seed-faces-u-s-soybean-challenge-from-corteva-idUSKBN20R1QG |accessdate=19 August 2020 |publisher=Reuters |date=4 March 2020}} In 2021, Bayer's "XtendFlex" soybeans with resistance to dicamba, glyphosate and [glufosinate](/source/glufosinate), entered into full-scale commercial use in the United States.{{cite news |last1=Brooks |first1=Rhonda |title=XtendFlex Soybean Technology Doubles Down On Yield, Weed Control |url=https://www.agweb.com/news/crops/soybeans/xtendflex-soybean-technology-doubles-down-yield-weed-control |access-date=1 May 2026 |publisher=Farm Journal, Inc. |date=22 March 2021}} While the use of Roundup Ready crops has increased the usage of herbicides measured in pounds applied per acre,Charles Benbrook. [http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.41.823&rep=rep1&type=pdf Evidence of the Magnitude and Consequences of the Roundup Ready Soybean Yield Drag from University-Based Varietal Trials in 1998]. Ag BioTech InfoNet Technical Paper Number 1 it has also changed the herbicide use profile away from [atrazine](/source/atrazine), [metribuzin](/source/metribuzin), and [alachlor](/source/alachlor){{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} which are more likely to be present in run off water.{{Citation needed|date=July 2012}} Furthermore, because glyphosate can be sprayed directly on Roundup Ready crops during the growing season, farmers using these seeds are less likely to intensively till and spray their fields in the off-season, thus reducing soil erosion and labor costs, and increasing soil moisture.{{Cite web| title=Roundup Ready Crops Have Major Positive Impact on Tillage Practices | url=https://ag.purdue.edu/btny/purdueweedscience/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Roundup-Ready-Crops-Have-Major-Positive-Impact-on-Tilllage-Practices.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421233421/https://ag.purdue.edu/btny/purdueweedscience/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Roundup-Ready-Crops-Have-Major-Positive-Impact-on-Tilllage-Practices.pdf | archive-date=2022-04-21}} An injunction in the case of ''Center for Food Safety v. USDA'' in September 2010 prevented farmers from planting Roundup Ready sugar beets across the United States until a remedial [environmental impact report](/source/environmental_impact_report) could be filed, prompting some fear of a sugar shortage.{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129891767|title=Sugar Beet Beatdown: Engineered Varieties Banned|newspaper=NPR.org}} The USDA completed an environmental impact study of Roundup Ready sugar beets in 2012 and concluded that they are safe, at which time they were deregulated.{{Cite web |url=https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/newsroom/news/sa_by_date/sa_2012/sa_06/ct_sugar_beets |title=USDA APHIS | USDA Announces Final Environmental Impact Statement and Plant Pest Risk Assessment for Genetically Engineered Sugar Beets |access-date=2020-06-12 |archive-date=2020-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612152017/https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/newsroom/news/sa_by_date/sa_2012/sa_06/ct_sugar_beets |url-status=dead }} ==Patents== The US patent for ''Roundup Ready'' soybeans expired in 2014.{{Cite news|url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_05/b4165019364939.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127202826/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_05/b4165019364939.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 27, 2010|title=Monsanto Will Let Bio-Crop Patents Expire|date=January 21, 2010|work=Business Week|accessdate=25 January 2010}} The US patent for ''Roundup Ready'' canola expired on 26 April 2022.{{cite web |last1=Pratt |first1=Sean |title=Roundup Ready canola patent set to expire |url=https://www.producer.com/news/roundup-ready-canola-patent-set-to-expire/ |website=The Western Producer |access-date=26 November 2021 |language=en |date=14 October 2021}} The 2020 film [''Percy''](/source/Percy_(2020_film)) is based on Canadian farmer [Percy Schmeiser](/source/Percy_Schmeiser)'s legal battle against [Monsanto](/source/Monsanto) over the ''Roundup Ready'' canola patent. ==Genetic engineering== Some [microorganisms](/source/microorganisms) have a version of [5-''enol''pyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase](/source/EPSP_synthase) (EPSPS: EC 2.5.1.19, 3-phosphoshikimate 1-carboxyvinyltransferase; 5-''enol''pyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate [synthetase](/source/synthetase); phospho''enol''pyruvate:3-phosphoshikimate 5-''O''-(1-carboxyvinyl)-[transferase](/source/transferase)) that is resistant to glyphosate [inhibition](/source/Enzyme_inhibition). The version used in [genetically modified crops](/source/genetically_modified_crops) was [isolate](/source/Genetic_isolate)d from ''[Agrobacterium](/source/Agrobacterium)'' strain CP4 (CP4 EPSPS) that was [resistant](/source/Pesticide_resistance) to glyphosate.Development and Characterization of a CP4 EPSPS-Based, Glyphosate-Tolerant Corn Event,G. R. Heck et al. Crop Sci. 45:329-339 (2005).[http://crop.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/45/1/329?ijkey=44fad6f377d5b5dfe274484eb51a4c79d0d7ff63&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319094255/http://crop.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/45/1/329?ijkey=44fad6f377d5b5dfe274484eb51a4c79d0d7ff63&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha|date=2009-03-19}}Molecular basis for the herbicide resistance of Roundup Ready crops, T. Funke et al., PNAS 2006 103:13010-13015 [http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/103/35/13010#B10] The CP4 EPSPS gene was [cloned](/source/cloned) and inserted into soybeans. The CP4 EPSPS gene was engineered for [plant expression](/source/plant_expression) by [fusing](/source/%3Awikt%3Afusing) the 5' end of the gene to a [chloroplast](/source/chloroplast) [transit peptide](/source/transit_peptide) derived from the [petunia](/source/petunia) EPSPS. This transit peptide was used because it had shown previously an ability to deliver bacterial EPSPS to the chloroplasts of other plants. The [plasmid](/source/plasmid) used to move the gene into soybeans was PV-GMGTO4. It contained three bacterial genes, two CP4 EPSPS genes, and a gene [encoding](/source/encoding) [beta-glucuronidase](/source/beta-glucuronidase) (GUS) from ''[Escherichia coli](/source/Escherichia_coli)'' as a marker. The DNA was injected into the soybeans using the particle-acceleration method or "[gene gun](/source/gene_gun)". Soybean cultivar A54O3 was used for the [transformation](/source/Transformation_(genetics)). The [expression](/source/Gene_expression) of the GUS gene was used as the initial evidence of transformation. GUS expression was detected by a staining method in which the GUS enzyme converts a [substrate](/source/Substrate_(biochemistry)) into a blue [precipitate](/source/precipitate). Those plants that showed GUS expression were then taken and sprayed with glyphosate and their tolerance was tested over many generations. ==Productivity claims== Under conditions meant to reveal only genetic yield factors, Roundup Ready lines have been shown to have worse yields. In 1999, a review of Roundup Ready soybean crops found that, compared to the top conventional varieties, they had a 6.7% lower yield. This so-called "yield drag" follows the same pattern observed when other traits are introduced into soybeans by conventional breeding.{{cite journal|first1=Charles E.|last1=Caviness|first2=H.J.|last2=Walters|date=1971|title=Effect of phytophthora rot on yield and chemical composition of soybean seed|journal=Crop Science|publisher=ACSESS|location=Madison, Wisconsin| volume=11|issue=1|pages=83–84|doi=10.2135/cropsci1971.0011183X001100010029x}} Monsanto claims later patented varieties yield 7-11% higher than their initial varieties, closer to those of conventional farming, although the company refrains from citing actual yields.{{cite web | url=http://traits.bayer.com/soybeans/Pages/Roundup-Ready-2-Yield.aspx | title=Roundup Ready 2 Yield® Soybeans {{!}} Bayer Traits | website=[Bayer CropScience](/source/Bayer_CropScience)}} Monsanto's 2006 application to the USDA states that RR2 (mon89788) yields 1.6 bu less than A3244, the conventional variety that the trait is inserted into.{{Cite web|url=https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/06_17801p.pdf |title=Microsoft Word - RR2Y USDA Revised 11.03.06a.doc |date= |access-date=August 22, 2010}} Many [genetically engineered crops](/source/genetically_engineered_crops) have similar yield alterations. Roundup Ready crops have both: [yield drag](/source/yield_drag) due to the modification itself interfering with yield production; and [yield lag](/source/yield_lag) due to the delay in breeding the best new yield genetics into the Roundup Ready lines. Because this kind of testing is done under artificial conditions, these results do not hold for actual field conditions with [weed pressure](/source/weed_pressure).{{cite book | url=http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/failure-to-yield.pdf | title=Failure To Yield - Evaluating the Performance of Genetically Engineered Crops | last=Gurian-Sherman | first=Douglas | s2cid=6332194 | publisher=[Union of Concerned Scientists](/source/Union_of_Concerned_Scientists) | date=April 2009}} Under realistic field use the [weed control](/source/weed_control) advantages are more significant. ==See also== * [Roundup Ready soybeans](/source/Roundup_Ready_soybeans) * [LibertyLink](/source/LibertyLink) ==References== {{Reflist}} * Category:Monsanto Category:Seeds Category:Genetically modified organisms in agriculture --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Roundup Ready](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundup_Ready) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundup_Ready?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.