Hello and welcome to As It Is. Im Jonathan Evans in Washington.
On our program today, we have two reports on agriculture. A new program in the state of Maryland is helping first-time farmers start their businesses. We will tell you more about the program later in the show. But first, our agriculture reporter Milagros Ardin tells about how researchers are finding new ways to fight weeds.
Researchers Look for Non-Traditional Ways to Fight Weeds
Too much use of an important chemical can fuel the spread of new weeds. Some weeds are strong enough to resist weed-killing products, also known as herbicides. But researchers are finding natural ways to deal with unwanted plants.
During the harvest at the United States Department of Agricultures research station, just north of Washington, DC, scientist Steven Mirsky walks through a field of dry corn in search of enemies.
The sight of some of those enemies causes him to cry out, Look at the size of these pigweed plants right here.
The plants are more than two meters tall. They have taken water, nutrients and light from nearby crops. Pigweed can quickly get out of control. Each plant can produce up to 500 thousand seeds.
Many farmers control pigweed and other problem plants by growing genetically modified crops. Such crops do not react to the effects of a weed-killing product called Roundup. Farmers can treat their fields with Roundup and kill the weeds. But the chemical does not harm the crop.
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