Roundup (herbicide)

This article is about the herbicide originally developed by Monsanto. For the active ingredient alone, see glyphosate.

Roundup
Manufacturing status
ManufacturerBayer
TypeHerbicide
Introduced to market1976[1]
Purposes
AgricultureNon-selective post-emergence weed control
Herbicide properties
SurfactantPolyethoxylated tallow amine (most common)
Main active ingredientIsopropylamine salt of glyphosate
Mode of action5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) inhibitor
Websiteroundup.com

Roundup is a brand name of herbicide originally produced by Monsanto, which Bayer acquired in 2018. Prior to the late-2010s formulations, it used broad-spectrum glyphosate-based herbicides.[2] As of 2009, sales of Roundup herbicides still represented about 10 percent of Monsanto's revenue despite competition from Chinese producers of other glyphosate-based herbicides.[3] The overall Roundup line of products represented about half of Monsanto's yearly revenue in 2009.[4] The product is marketed to consumers by Scotts Miracle-Gro Company.[5] In the late-2010s other non-glyphosate containing herbicides were also sold under the Roundup brand.[6][7]

Monsanto developed and patented the glyphosate molecule in the 1970s, and marketed it as Roundup from 1973.[citation needed] It retained exclusive rights to glyphosate in the US until its US patent expired in September 2000; in other countries the patent expired earlier. The Roundup trademark is registered with the US Patent and Trademark Office and still extant. However, glyphosate is no longer under patent, so similar products use it as an active ingredient.[8]

The main active ingredient of Roundup is the isopropylamine salt of glyphosate. Another ingredient of Roundup is the surfactant POEA (polyethoxylated tallow amine).

Monsanto also produced seeds which grow into plants genetically engineered to be tolerant to glyphosate, which are known as Roundup Ready crops. The genes contained in these seeds are patented. Such crops allow farmers to use glyphosate as a post-emergence herbicide against most broadleaf and cereal weeds.

The health impacts of the product as well as its effects on the environment have been at the center of substantial legal and scientific controversies. In June 2020, Bayer agreed to pay $9.6 billion to settle tens of thousands of claims, mostly alleging that glyphosate-based Roundup had caused cancer.[9][10]

  1. ^ "Monsanto ~ Who We Are ~ Company History". Monsanto.com. November 3, 2008. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  2. ^ Domonoske, Camila (June 4, 2018). "Monsanto No More: Agri-Chemical Giant's Name Dropped In Bayer Acquisition". NPR. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  3. ^ "The debate over whether Monsanto is a corporate sinner or saint". The Economist. November 19, 2009. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  4. ^ Cavallaro, Matt (June 26, 2009). "The Seeds Of A Monsanto Short Play". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 3, 2009. Retrieved July 11, 2009.
  5. ^ Jack Kaskey (May 1, 2019). "Scotts Miracle-Gro Jumps Most in Decade on Pot-Supplies Rebound". Bloomberg.
  6. ^ "For the homeowner: Roundup® for Lawns?" (PDF). Nebraska Turfgrass Science. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  7. ^ Frank, Kevin; Hathaway, Aaron (March 31, 2017). "What's the difference between Roundup and Roundup For Lawns?". MSU Extension. Michigan State University Extension. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  8. ^ "California Product/Label Database". Cdpr.ca.gov. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  9. ^ Cohen, Patricia (June 24, 2020). "Roundup Maker to Pay $10 Billion to Settle Cancer Suits". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  10. ^ "Bayer wins latest Roundup cancer trial, ending losing streak". Reuters. December 23, 2023.