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glyphosate resistant crops



        Hello,
        I am starting a new research on the utilisation of glyphosate
resistant crops in a traditional three course rotation (maize, soybean and
sugarbeet) on clay soils in the Italian Po Valley (Bologna). The hypothesis
is that glyphosate resistance introduced in crop plants can help the
sustainability of agriculture allowing a minor chemical input to control
weeds. In the research, which will last for at least three years, I would
like to assess the impact of this technology on the farm economy (crop
yields and management costs) and on the environment.
        I would appreciate any advice on the conduction of the
experimentation, which can be carried out on a wide area (3 ha), but using
non experimental machineries. My intentions are to keep a record of the
evolution of the weed population, assessing the density of  each present
species at harvests, and to measure all the crop yields. What other
environmental traits do you advice me to measure in order to have a measure
of sustainability in the environment?
        Any answer will be welcomed. I would also be very glad to know any
opinion on the hypotesis on which this experiment is based.
        Thank you in advance



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Prof. Guido Baldoni

Dipartimento di Agronomia, Università di Bologna
Via Filippo Re 6, 40126 Bologna Italy (Tel. 051-351540, fax 051-351511)
Azienda Agraria di Rocca Priora
Rocca Priora 2, 60015 Falconara M.  (AN) Italy (Tel., fax 071-9198970)
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