The Heat Is on: RIPE Researchers Show Ability to Future-Proof Crops for Changing Climate
Published:20 Dec.2021 Source:Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The world is warming quickly with no indication of slowing down. This could be catastrophic for the production of food crops, particularly in already warm areas. Today, research from The University of Illinois and the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service show that bypassing a photosynthetic glitch common to crops like soybean, rice, and wheat, can confer thermal protection under heat stress in the field.
"We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things," said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex and an affiliate faculty with the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, who led this work to future proof crops and save yields.