Nufarm and major shareholder Sumitomo Chemical Company are considering developing a new herbicide to fight resistant weeds in genetically-modified crops.
Sumitomo, which holds a 20 per cent stake in Nufarm, said in a statement on Monday that greater use of weedkiller glyphosate in genetically-modified crops was resulting in some weeds developing resistance to glyphosate and reducing its efficacy in controlling those weeds.
Glyphosate-resistant weeds have been reported in soybean and cotton crops, particularly in the United States.
Glyphosate is Nufarm's largest individual product and in a normal year represents 35 to 40 per cent of international sales.
