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Upon first inspection, researchers noticed that untreated areas of alfalfa had significantly more growth than treated areas and necrotic shoots were observed in the treated areas.
Symptoms including plant shoots that drooped in a typical “shepherd’s crook” manner and stunted growth appeared in the affected plants. Eventually the plants turned necrotic. Effects were not limited to any particular variety of alfalfa. Orloff says he saw similar symptoms in different fields with different varieties of alfalfa.
Not knowing the root of the problem, researchers embarked on a series of evaluations and a process of elimination. Through this such things as spray-tank contamination, a bad batch of glyphosate and non-herbicide related management practices were ruled out.
A research trial was established in an untreated strip in one of the commercial fields that was affected to evaluate different Roundup sources and the effect of an adjuvant. However, researchers were unable to replicate the damage at that time.
A year later, after exhausting other possible causes, researchers seemed no closer to finding a cause – then the same thing happened in 2015. This led to discussions and a theory related to cold weather and the timing of glyphosate applications.
