Climate change is reshaping the environment, making droughts worse and more persistent. For farmers all around the world, it also means looking for that elusive something to keep crops going when the weather will hardly cooperate. Drought-resistant crops represent a step forward in the quest for food security as climate patterns shift.
Why drought-resistant crops matter
Crops grow best under constant water supply, but with less and erratic rainfall and increased evaporation due to high temperatures, the water resources keep diminishing. Drought resistance can be attributed to genes responsible for survival with less and minimal water. Therefore, these crops can be a potential answer, especially to those areas that are badly affected by climate change.
The Science Behind Drought Resistance
Scientists are using these inherent characteristics in a few of the plants, which withstand long dry seasons. While some plants get water very deep underground, the other plants have the waxy sheets on leaves that prevent easy loss of excess water from the plants. The main idea behind this is to trace and support such natural aspects in some researchers who establish new varieties of crops.
Since 2022, these include crops such as maize, rice, and wheat that are being experimented to be drought-resistant. The techniques of genetically advanced like CRISPR had also been applied to enhance tolerance to drought without the yield being reduced. The scientists at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have produced a drought-resistant variety of rice that consumes about 30% less water compared to a normal rice crop.
Examples of drought-resistant crops
- Sorghum: It is one of the staple crops of Africa and South Asia. They grow in a hot, dry climatic condition with high nutritional value. Recently, researchers have developed a new variety that is drought and heat-tolerant. It gives a good source of food in drought-prone regions.
- Drought-Tolerant Corn: Corn farmers have turned to drought-tolerant corn in the United States and planting more in places such as California and Kansas where droughts are becoming common. Drought-tolerant varieties yield 15% more grain than a typical variety when water is lacking.
Millets: These are sometimes called the "grain of the future." This crop requires less water when compared to other grains. It can also survive the dry climate. It makes the crop more feasible in terms of dealing with drought conditions based on this rising interest, especially in places like India, as far as the National Year of Millets 2023 is concerned.
Biotechnology in addition to conventional approaches in breeding
This drought-resistant crop mostly occurs via biotechnology application development but has a resultant function aided by conventional ways. In India, research scientists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) have developed drought-resistant varieties of wheat. This combines modern science techniques with traditional methods of nature, resulting in crops that both work well and have strength.
Crop Support Drought-Resistant Around the World
This now threatens food security, and hence global institutions like the United Nations and the World Bank are investing in projects that aim to develop drought-resistant agriculture. It even launched the "Drought Action" project in 2023 and urged other countries to start investing in drought-resistant agriculture so that they can ensure their food security.
Conclusion
If these crops do not exist, or rather the drought-resistant versions, sustainable agriculture cannot find any kind of sustenance within this changing climate. Crop innovation is the hope over nature's challenges. All hope, in fact, for the securing of food rests within such crops.