CIMMYT Study Says Breeding New Crops Must Adapt to Climate Change

Research conducted by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) has determined that climate change is affecting current plant breeding objectives, efficiency, and genetic gains, causing limitations to the breeding approach of the next generation.

The goals for breeding and developing new crops have been changed by the rising demands for climate-ready crops, originating from the urgent need to adapt to climate change. The study found that climate change requires a faster breeding cycle and must drive changes in breeding objectives by putting climate resilience as the top priority. Doing this requires the integration of multiple disciplines and technologies, including genotyping, phenotyping, and envirotyping, to contribute to the development and delivery of climate-adapted crops in a shorter timeframe.

“The risk of multiple crop failure due to climate change is very real. Breeding must become more deterministic in terms of adaption if we are to avert food price-hikes, hunger, and social unrest,” said Matthew Reynolds, Distinguished Scientist and Head of Wheat Physiology at CIMMYT.

For more details, read the article on the CIMMYT website or download the paper in Current Opinion in Plant Biology.