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Genetically engineered crops do little to improve yields and instead promote the proliferation of herbicide-resistant weeds that curb production, according to a study by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Corn and soybeans that are modified to resist insects and the herbicide glyphosate haven’t been proven to boost yields, the Cambridge, Mass.-based group said Tuesday in a 44-page report. The modified plants have increased the number of glyphosate-resistant weeds that compete for soil nutrients and moisture, reducing production, the group said.

"The two major types of traits now present in transgenic crops — insect resistance and herbicide tolerance — are often classic contributors to operational yield," said Doug Gurian- Sherman, a senior scientist in the group and the author of the report. "Neither trait would be expected to enhance potential or intrinsic yield, and indeed, there is virtually no evidence that they have done so cash loans."

Operational yield is obtained under normal field conditions and includes factors such as pests and other stressors, the report said. Intrinsic yield is the highest that can be achieved with crops grown under ideal conditions.
Creve Coeur-based Monsanto Co., the world’s biggest seed producer, didn’t return calls seeking comment. Sharon Bomer Lauritsen, an executive vice president of food and agriculture at the Biotechnology Industry Organization in Washington, said the report is "absurd."

"Biotech crops help to provide for more sustainable agricultural production," Bomer Lauritsen said.

The union is a "science-based nonprofit" group started in 1969 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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