Does this meeting cover too wide a range of interests and topics? That was a question raised at the beginning of Bayer's three-day Pan American Weed Resistance Conference this week in Miami. By the end, however, many delegates were surprised at how similar the challenges of weed control are from one part of the world to another.
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| Almost 300 attendees discussed herbicide resistance issues at Bayer's Pan American Weed Resistance Conference, -- Bayer CropScience photo |
As suggested by the conference name, the idea was to bring weed control experts together from across the Americas to discuss herbicide resistance issues. Almost 300 attendees came from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and numerous countries in Central and South America. Europe and Australia were also represented.
Many of their conversations with each other revolved around the same types of problem, and even the same herbicides and weed species. Delegates also found they had other concerns -- for example, government regulation and pressure from misguided public opinion -- in common.
The conference not only achieved its goal of focusing attention on the serious threat posed to global food production by herbicide-resistant weeds. It also underscored the value of more international co-operation in finding workable fixes.