New herbicide resistant weed called Palmer amaranth has been detected in the US, worrying local cotton sector as it could compel farmers to resort to outdated growing techniques harmful to environment.
This weed can grow one inch per day even in droughts and it spreads with ease.
Palmer is a kind of pig weed having height of six to ten feet, which remains unaffected by the most common cotton herbicide glyphostate. It has shown presence in 10 of 100 North Carolina counties, four counties of Georgia and is doubted in South Carolina, Arkansas and Tennessee.
Some of Georgia's 48 infected fields were filled up completely with the weed, due to which cotton had to be chopped instead of harvesting. Palmer is strong enough to damage cotton pickers which pluck the fibre from cotton bolls.
Remedy for the problem is to use Roundup brand glyphostate along with certain herbicides which can kill the weed. Cotton is a major crop in the US which is grown in 16 states and cotton sector is worth $4.7 billion.
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