Maintaining high yields in field crops while reconsidering the option of using glyphosate

Description

Field crops (grain corn and soybeans) are grown on over 800,000 ha in Québec. They are a big source of farm income but also account for most of the glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) used in the province. Maintaining high field crop yields while drastically reducing use of GBH is strategically important if this sector is to remain prosperous and sustainable.

The aim of the project is to assess the impact of applying various rates of glyphosate in field crop systems on the soil and crop rhizosphere microbiome. This IRDA project covers one aspect of a broad interdisciplinary study led by Dr. Marc Lucotte at UQAM. The purpose of the NSERC-funded study is to provide an overall picture of the massive use of GBHs in a variety of conventional field crop systems and systems with a permanent plant cover requiring very few GBH applications. The IRDA study will consist of taking microbiome samples in the field in two of Québec’s climatic zones and in research plots run by SCV Agrologie.

Objective(s)

• Determine the impact of glyphosate and its derivative AMPA on key agricultural functions and the soil and rhizosphere microbiome
• Determine the ability of permanent plant cover to drastically reduce glyphosate use and compaction and increase nutrient retention and recycling, water retention, carbon sequestration, soil productivity, and the proportion of beneficial microflora
• Determine what species in the soil and rhizosphere microbiome can reduce the negative impacts of glyphosate and AMPA persistence in the soil