Adapting crops for climate change

Agricultural production is hampered by climate extremes such as heat, drought, waterlogging, and salinity, affecting soil health, water availability, and crop performance.

Using wild crops to regain the abiotic stress tolerance that was lost or weakened during domestication is fundamental to achieving global food security and sustainable agricultural production in the face of climate change.

Progress in the field could be achieved by introducing genes from wild relatives, but the lack of understanding of the operation of specific genes in planta remains a major hurdle in breeding programs, calling for broader use of cell-based phenotyping platforms.

An alternative solution is to engage in direct domestication of wild relatives that already have the genes required for abiotic stress tolerance.

The success of both strategies will be critically dependent on legislative issues and associated public perception of the technologies used for their implementation.