Unwanted Plants Threaten Crops in North-Central US

Unwanted Plants Threaten Crops in North-Central US

不受欢迎的植物威胁到美国中北部的农作物

【听力音频】

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　　By John Russell

　　23 January 2024

　　Across the north-central United States, weeds that resist control efforts are worrying farmers. This development is the latest sign that weeds are becoming resistant to chemicals faster than major companies can make new weed-fighting products.

　　Scientists say that some sorts of weeds are developing resistance to chemicals used to destroy them.

　　Reuters news agency recently spoke with more than 20 farmers, scientists, weed specialists and company leaders. The news agency also studied eight research papers published since 2021. The studies described how weeds, including kochia, waterhemp, and giant ragweed, are affecting crops in North Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

　　Over the last 20 years, chemical companies have reduced the percentage of revenue meant for research and development spending. These companies are also introducing fewer products, says AgbioInvestor, a company based in Britain that studies the agricultural chemical industry.

　　Farmers say their battle with weeds threatens grain and oilseed harvests at a time when growers face inflation and extreme weather.

　　"We're in for big problems over the next 10 years for sure," said Ian Heap of the International Survey of Herbicide Resistant Weeds. It is a group of international scientists who work with governments and industry. He added, "We are in for a real shake-up."

　　The research group has a database of information on the reduced effectiveness of glyphosate, one of the most common weed-killing chemicals, against 361 weed species, including 180 in the U.S.

　　These weeds affect corn, soy, sugar beets and other crops.

　　Around the world, 21 weeds globally showed resistance to dicamba, the most recent major U.S. chemical, which launched in 2017.

　　Environmental groups argue that farmers should embrace natural weed-control methods instead of chemicals.

　　One Kochia plant can spread as many as 30,000 seeds. It can result in yields reduced by up to 70 percent if nothing is done to stop it. That information comes from Take Action, a farmer resource program of the United Soybean Board.

　　Other issues, including the development of stronger seeds, have pushed overall crop yields higher around the world. But scientists expect weed problems to worsen. Some weeds are even showing resistance the first time they are treated with chemicals.

　　In Douglas, North Dakota, farmer Bob Finken used dicamba and glyphosate to kill weeds late in the growing season. Neither product completely killed kochia.

　　"That was really scary," said Finken, age 64. "Each year seems to get a little worse."

　　Finken had to clear the weeds with harvesting equipment, which risks damaging the machinery.

　　Other farmers are hiring workers to pull weeds by hand, said Sarah Lovas of GK Technology, an agriculture company.

　　North Dakota was the largest spring wheat producing state in 2023 and ninth-biggest soybean grower.

　　Five of North Dakota's 53 counties have confirmed populations of dicamba-resistant kochia. That is only one year after it was first reported in the state, said Joe Ikley of North Dakota State University.

　　"It's just a matter of time before it hits your farm," said 65-year-old Monte Peterson who grows soybeans near Valley City, North Dakota.

　　Chemical producers Bayer, Corteva and FMC say longer development and government approval processes have limited new products to combat weed resistance. Industry leaders also say officials have become stricter about possible environmental and health effects.

　　The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said standards for approving new herbicides have not changed greatly since 1996. However, the EPA said recent efforts to study the effects of new active ingredients on threatened plants and wildlife have delayed some decisions.

　　The EPA did not estimate the increased processing time. The agency said it speeds up studies of lower-risk products.

　　I'm John Russell.

　　Rod Nickel and Tom Polansek reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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　　约翰·罗素

　　日期：2024年1月23日

　　在美国的中北部，抵抗控制努力的杂草正在让农民们感到担忧。这一发展是杂草对化学品的抗性发展速度超过主要公司制造新的除草产品的最新迹象。

　　科学家们表示，一些类型的杂草正在对用于消灭它们的化学品产生抗性。

　　路透社新闻机构最近与20多名农民、科学家、杂草专家和公司领导进行了交谈。新闻机构还研究了自2021年以来发布的八篇研究论文。这些研究描述了包括科恰草、水麻和巨大的豹子花在内的杂草如何影响北达科他州、爱荷华州、威斯康星州和明尼苏达州的农作物。

　　在过去的20年里，化学公司已经减少了用于研发支出的收入比例。英国的一家研究农业化学行业的公司AgbioInvestor表示，这些公司也推出的新产品越来越少。

　　农民们表示，他们与杂草的斗争威胁到谷物和油籽的收获，而此时种植者正在面临通货膨胀和极端天气。

　　“我们在接下来的10年肯定会面临大问题，”抗草甘膦杂草国际调查组织的Ian Heap说。这是一个与政府和行业合作的国际科学家团队。他补充说，“我们将面临真正的动荡。”

　　这个研究团队拥有一个数据库，其中包含了关于草甘膦（一种最常见的除草化学品）对361种杂草种类，包括美国的180种，效力降低的信息。

　　这些杂草影响到玉米、大豆、甜菜和其他作物。

　　在全球范围内，有21种杂草对美国最近的主要化学品二甲戊灵（该化学品于2017年推出）表现出抗性。

　　环保团体认为，农民应该采用自然的除草方法，而不是化学品。

　　一株科恰草可以散播多达30,000颗种子。如果不采取措施阻止它，可能会导致产量减少高达70%。这些信息来自于美国大豆委员会的农民资源项目Take Action。

　　其他问题，包括更强种子的开发，已经推动了全球的整体作物产量提高。但科学家预计杂草问题将会恶化。一些杂草甚至在第一次使用化学品处理时就表现出抗性。

　　在北达科他州的道格拉斯，农民Bob Finken在生长季节的后期使用了二甲戊灵和草甘膦来杀死杂草。但这两种产品都没有完全杀死科恰草。

　　64岁的Finken说：“那真的很可怕。每年似乎都会变得更糟。”

　　Finken不得不使用收割设备清理杂草，这可能会损坏机器。

　　农业公司GK Technology的Sarah Lovas表示，其他农民正在雇佣工人用手工拔除杂草。

　　2023年，北达科他州是春季小麦的最大产地，也是全美第九大大豆产区。

　　北达科他州的53个县中有5个已经确认存在对二甲戊灵抗药的科恰草种群。这是在该州首次报告这种情况后仅一年的时间，北达科他州立大学的Joe Ikley说。

　　“这只是时间问题，它会侵袭你的农场，”65岁的Monte Peterson说，他在北达科他州的Valley City附近种植大豆。

　　化学品生产商拜耳、科尔特瓦和FMC表示，更长的开发和政府审批流程限制了新产品来对抗杂草的抗药性。行业领导者还表示，官方对可能的环境和健康影响变得更加严格。

　　美国环保署（EPA）表示，自1996年以来，批准新除草剂的标准并未发生大的变化。然而，EPA表示，最近对新活性成分对濒危植物和野生动物影响的研究工作，已经推迟了一些决策。

　　EPA并未估计处理时间的增加。该机构表示，它加快了对低风险产品的研究。

　　我是约翰·罗素。

　　罗德·尼科尔和汤姆·波兰塞克为路透社报道了这个故事。约翰·罗素为VOA学习英语改编了它。

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　　本故事中的词汇

　　weed – n. 一种生长速度非常快，覆盖或杀死更有价值植物的植物

　　shake-up – n.重要的变化或一系列变化。

　　yield – n. 农场生产的某物的数量

　　standard – n. 可接受的质量或成就水平；用来评判其他事物质量的东西