Glyphosate 2

also see wildlife section//birds, glyphosate,  climate change

Glyphosate Weed Killers Reduce Crop Yields and Hamper Climate Mitigation Efforts(Beyond Pesticides, February 15, 2023) Finnish study of two separate experiments on the grass Festuca pratensis, an important forage crop grown for grazing animals throughout the world. For all experiments and plot variables, none saw glyphosate use have a positive impact on yield or biomass.   (E)ven among uncut grasses, those grown in glyphosate-sprayed soils showed the lowest root biomass. Chlorophyll content also followed this pattern, with those in the most intensively cut grouping showing the lowest content if also grown in soils where glyphosate was applied.  “This demonstrates a tremendous limitation to the potential carbon binding and storage belowground when soils are polluted by pesticide."

Garden pesticides are contributing to British songbird decline, study finds (Helena Horton, The Guardian, 6 february 2023)   The study was published in the journal ??Science of the Total Environment. 'The experiment, which surveyed 615 gardens in Britain, found 25% fewer house sparrows when glyphosate was used regularly. This is an ingredient found in commonly used herbicide brands such as Roundup or Gallup.   Slug pellets also seemed to have an impact on bird sightings; in gardens where metaldehyde slug pellets were used, house sparrow numbers were down by almost 40%.    Prof Dave Goulson, of the school of life sciences at the University of Sussex, said: “The UK has 22 million gardens, which collectively could be a fantastic refuge for wildlife, but not if they are overly tidy and sprayed with poisons. We just don’t need pesticides in our gardens. Many towns around the world are now pesticide free.”'