Scotts Miracle-Gro glyphosate-resistant GMO grass utilizes less fertilizers, grows twice as fast

Dan Alexander | July 7, 2016 | Forbes

Scientists inside Scotts Miracle-Gro are developing a genetically modified version of . . . grass. If and when it actually hits the market, it will help gardeners grow ever greener lawns with less fertilizer and less maintenance. . . . Back in 1997 Scotts partnered with GMO giant Monsanto to create a Roundup-ready grass for golf courses. But Scotts botched an early seed-harvesting operation, allowing its lab grass to spread beyond a contained area . . . Despite extensive efforts to kill off all the escaped grass, new generations keep popping up . . . 12 years after the accident.. . . . But now Hagedorn and his team are leveraging unpatented gene research to create new kinds of turf. . . .Scotts is mechanically implanting genes . . . instead of using agrobacterium. That means Scotts scientists can now develop new grasses without going through the standard USDA regulatory process. 

The company’s new, unregulated GMO grass requires less fertilizer, grows at half the speed of standard turf and is resistant to the primary chemical agent in Roundup [glyphosate]. . . . Trials are already running today. Scotts hopes the new types of grass will hit the market within three years....... Read more