Biotech Updates

Temperature-Adapted Crop Varieties can Mitigate Climate Change Effects

March 27, 2009

The use of adapted and improved crop varieties will greatly minimize the impact of climate change on dryland crops, according to a study conducted by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). ICRISAT expects the impact of climate change on dryland crops to be two-fold: increase in temperature and increase in the frequency of droughts and floods. The study revealed, however, that predicted temperature increases have greater negative impacts on crop production than changes in precipitation.

But the future is not that bleak. The ICRISAT study generated a "hypotheses of hope". According to the India-based institution, "adoption of improved crop, soil and water management practices, even under climate change, will result in substantially higher yields than farmers are currently obtaining in their low input systems."

Read the press release at http://www.icrisat.org/Media/2009/media7.htm