A disadvantage of high yielding varieties that were introduced during the green revolution
The green revolution mandated the use of certain genetically modified plant strains, which were primarily bred to produce higher yields. These varieties were not high yielding on their own. The yields per hectare were high if they were adequately supplemented. And since we could not cope to produce high quantities of organic fertilizers, there was a boom in synthetic fertilization. Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides introduce very harmful compounds to the environment contaminating soil, air, surface and underground water.