One of the most common disaster scenarios that have been pushed by climate alarmists is a reduction in crop yields and/or outright crop failure in the future. Now, it seems that won’t be something they’ll have to worry about. Of course, we haven’t been worried about it so far, because crop yields have been increasing worldwide in spite of warming. But, to get there, some genetic tweaking will have to be done, and the irrational greenies would rather starve than eat GMO crops. Perhaps that’s natural selection at work.
Graph by Willis Eschenbach:
From the JOHN INNES CENTRE
Breeding temperature-resilient crops is an “achievable dream” in one of the most important species of commercially-cultivated plants, according to a new study.
The vision of crop improvement in the face of climate change is outlined in research by the John Innes Centre which establishes a genetic link between increased temperature and the problem of “pod shatter” (premature seed dispersal) in oilseed rape.
Research by the team led by Dr Vinod Kumar and Professor Lars Østergaard, reveals that pod shatter is enhanced at higher temperature across diverse species in the Brassicaceae family which also includes cauliflower, broccoli and kale.
This new understanding brings a step closer the prospect of creating crops that are better adapted to warmer temperatures a step closer.
Dr Vinod Kumar, a co-author of the paper explained the significance of the findings:
“It’s almost as if there is a thermostat that controls seed dispersal, or pod shatter. As we learn how it works, we could in the future ‘rewire’ it so seed dispersal does not happen at the same pace at higher temperatures
“This piece of the puzzle, coupled with the use of advanced genetic tools means that developing temperature-resilient crops becomes an achievable dream.”
Controlling seed dispersal, or “pod shatter” is a major issue for farmers of oilseed rape worldwide, who lose between 15-20% of yield on average per year due to prematurely dispersed seeds lost in the field.
