Current and future scenarios of glyphosate use in Europe: Are there alternatives?

Glyphosate is the world's most used herbicide to control weeds in tree and herbaceous crops, and in non-agricultural areas. However, health and environmental concerns, as well as the spread of weed resistance, may lead to a ban or limitations of its use. This event would necessitate that alternative weed control techniques be made available quickly. Potential chemical alternatives include herbicides authorized for the same uses as glyphosate that in this review were identified through searches of the pesticide databases of Italy, Spain, France, Germany, The Netherlands, and Estonia. Non-chemical control measures encompass mowing, tillage, and cover crops in agricultural areas and mowing, flaming, hot water, hot foam, and steam in non-agricultural areas. Examination of the data reveals that a loss of glyphosate availability would not only require more complex and expensive weed managements, but also integration of multiple weed control techniques.