Extreme droughts and dry weather seasons have severely impacted crop production around the world, but scientists at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) discovered a new technique that could be a game-changer.
As explained at Phys.org, the CABBI team of researchers published a pair of studies in the Journal of Experimental Botany revealing that they used genetic engineering to advance improvements in water use efficiency (WUE) in "climate-friendly" C4 bioenergy crops. WUE is a key plant trait that helps them grow with less water and withstand the stress caused by drought.
Another promising development is that the CABBI team achieved its goal without sacrificing yield, which will help make this method a viable option for crop production.
"It provides an exciting opportunity for new scientific discovery and engineering strategies," CABBI postdoctoral researcher Daniel Lunn of Plant Biology, IGB, and the Center for Digital Agriculture at Illinois, and primary author of the second study, said per Phys.org.
Droughts significantly impact crop production, leading to severe food shortages and economic losses. Flash droughts, which can occur rapidly and be just as damaging as flash floods, pose an unprecedented risk for farmers globally as they diminish water supplies crucial for crop growth.
For example, a 2017 flash drought in the Dakotas, Montana, and part of Canada resulted in $2.6 billion in agricultural losses in the U.S. alone. In Europe, droughts currently cost around €9 billion (about $10 billion) annually, a figure that one study estimates could rise to €65 billion (more than $72 billion) by 2100 if adaptation measures are not taken.
The technique uncovered by the CABBI team could make the difference needed to help curb the dire long-term outlook.
"Overcoming water limitations to crop production is really very central to achieving our mission of underpinning a profitable, sustainable, and resilient bioeconomy," CABBI director Andrew Leakey, team leader on the two studies, said in the Phys.org post.
In addition to the findings from the CABBI team, there have been other incredible breakthroughs recently that could transform the way we grow food, making it more sustainable and efficient.
For instance, researchers have been making strides with indoor farms that can grow crops using 90% less water compared to traditional farming methods. These indoor farms are transforming how we think about local produce, making it more accessible while also conserving water.
Additionally, there's fascinating research from Japan's RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science that shows that treating plants in ethanol can help them survive droughts. The ethanol causes plants to close their pores, helping them retain more moisture during dry conditions. This method has yielded promising results, with a significant percentage of ethanol-treated plants surviving drought-like conditions compared to those only given water.
These developments can help mitigate the impacts of water scarcity and support farming communities by paving the way for a more sustainable future in agriculture.
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