Genetically-altered Turf Spreads Worry

A turfgrass variety engineered to resist the herbicide Roundup will be kept off the market for at least a year after scientists discovered its genetically-modified pollen had been blown by winds more than 10 miles away.

The discovery raises the disturbing possibility of a rampant, hard-to-kill ?EUR??,,????'??superweed?EUR??,,????'?? invading fields and yards across the country. The scientists findings were released in a September issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In the study, botanist Lidia Watrud and colleagues tracked the genetically-engineered creeping bentgrass variety from experiemental fields in central Oregon. Other grasses as far as 13 miles away were found to have sprouted seed containing the bentgrass's altered genes.

The altered bentgrass was created by the Scott's Co. of Marysville, Ohio to resist the common herbicide Roundup, which is manufactured by Monsanto Co. The idea behind the herbicide-resistant grass is to let golf course managers and others target weeds without worrying about killing turf.

After the initial announcement, Meghan Thomas of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Plant Health Inspection Service told Reuters that the agency will conduct an environmental-impact study, which could take over a year.