The substance glyphosate (pronounced gly-fo-sate) was initially discovered in 1950 by a Swiss chemist, Henri Martin, at the pharmaceutical company Cilag. At that stage the product had no known pharmaceutical purpose. In 1964 Stauffer Chemical Company discovered the chelating capabilities of glyphosate where it was developed and utilized as a descaling agent for boiler systems and steam pipes. Although Stauffer screened glyphosate as an herbicide, it was passed over because it did not meet their functional period of time. It was not until the early 1970s that glyphosate was discovered/developed by Monsanto scientists to have herbicidal activity.
Glyphosate is the active chemical ingredient in Roundup herbicide and approximately 40 generic forms of glyphosate based herbicides (GBHs). GBHs are nonselective, thus they are designed to kill any living plant on which they are applied and have become the most widely used herbicides in the world.
Glyphosate’s Properties: First Patented in 1964
Glyphosate as a Mineral Chelator
Chelate is a Greek word meaning claw or to hold. A chelator binds to a mineral to change its physical properties without becoming part of the molecule. There are 2 primary types of chelation (relative to production agriculture or in nature)
1. A friendly chelator prevents a mineral or element from being tied up by others minerals or the soil. Humic substances (humic acid, fulvic acid or tannic acid) are examples of friendly chelators because they can hold the mineral in a protective manner but release the mineral physiologically or microbially to subsequently make the mineral available to the plants growing in the soil.
2. A strong chelator like glyphosate grabs onto the mineral(s) or element(s) and makes them bio-unavailable. Glyphosate performs this function in 2 ways because it is a strong chelator and a biocidal/antimicrobial product. It holds the mineral/nutrient relative to the charges involved with chelation. Glyphosate also damages the microorganisms that would in many cases be the most effective means of making the mineral or nutrient available to a growing plant.
3. Glyphosate chelates Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), Iron (FE), Copper (Cu), Nickel (Ni), Cobalt (Co), Boron (B), Molybdenum (Mo), Selenium (Se) & Potassium (K). It takes an extremely small amount of glyphosate to cause this bio-unavailability because of how effective glyphosate is as a chelator. If glyphosate is present in a substance(s), nutrient availability will be questionable.
It has been stated by some that glyphosate can lower the test weight of grain. There is NOT a connection between glyphosate’s chelating effects and a lowered test weight in grain. Again, this comment has been made by some individuals but cannot be substantiated scientifically.
Understanding Glyphosate
Howard Vlieger. STUDENT OF THE SOIL