The world’s food supply is facing unprecedented challenges due to Earth’s rapidly changing climate. University of Hawai’i scientists are among a team of researchers who have discovered an innovative way to help adapt food crops around the world to these new conditions. A recent study published in Nature Climate Change reveals how plant genebanks, also known as “living libraries,” can speed up the process of breeding crops better suited for climate change.

These living libraries store seeds and other genetic material from millions of genetically diverse plants worldwide. They provide a vital resource for plant breeders working to develop new crop varieties that have traits such as drought resistance, disease tolerance, or improved yields. The researchers used sorghum, a grain grown for food, fuel, and livestock feed, to test a new method called environmental genomic selection.

This approach combines DNA data with climate information to predict which plants are best suited for future conditions. It can be applied to any crop that has the right data, including sorghum, barley, cannabis, pepper, and dozens of other crops. By using a smaller, diverse “mini-core” group to forecast how crops will perform in different environments, scientists can quickly select the best parents for new, climate-resilient varieties.

“This method will help us keep pace with the hotter temperatures and increased risk of flooding from Earth’s changing climate and help develop new varieties to ensure food security,” said co-author Michael Kantar of the UH Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience (CTAHR).

The researchers also discovered that nations with high sorghum use may need genetic resources from other countries to effectively adapt to climate change. This highlights the value of global teamwork in securing the world’s food supply.

In conclusion, living libraries can play a crucial role in helping us adapt food crops to climate change. By leveraging these genetic resources and innovative breeding techniques, we can develop more resilient crop varieties that will ensure global food security for generations to come.

The European Union’s goal of achieving 25% organic agriculture by 2030 is ambitious, but researchers argue that new genomic techniques (NGTs) should be allowed in organic farming to make this target more sustainable. NGTs, also known as gene editing, involve subtle genetic tweaks that can help develop crops that are climate-resilient, produce higher yields, and require less fertilizers and pesticides.

Currently, 10% of EU farming areas are organic, but these farms often require more land to grow the same amount of food. This means that expanding agricultural land could lead to biodiversity losses, negating some of the environmental benefits of organic farming. Researchers suggest that by allowing NGTs in organic production, farmers can increase crop yields while maintaining their environmentally-friendly practices.

The EU institutions are currently debating how to regulate NGTs, which did not exist when the EU legislation on GMOs was adopted in 2001. A proposal from the European Commission suggests allowing NGT usage in conventional but not organic farming. However, researchers argue that this creates a hurdle for identifying, labeling, and tracing NGTs in food products.

Researchers also note that NGTs are still not well understood by consumers, who often confuse them with traditional GMOs. This confusion can lead to unnecessary labeling and regulation. By defining and regulating NGTs separately from traditional GMOs, the EU can create a more efficient and effective regulatory framework for this technology.

Ultimately, researchers suggest that the decision to allow NGTs in organic farming should be made by the organic farming and consumer communities through democratic processes such as citizens’ juries or food councils. This would ensure that any new technologies are aligned with the values and goals of organic consumers and farmers.

By embracing gene editing in organic farming, the EU can create a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly agricultural landscape while also supporting innovation and progress in this sector.

In a surprising discovery, researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have found that a mutant protein that helps plants fight off disease may actually contribute to their aging process. This counterintuitive finding challenges the long-held assumption that resistance to disease would result in a longer lifespan for plants.

The research team, led by Graduate School of Agriculture student Tomoko Matsumoto and Professor Noriko Inada, discovered that thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants with the mutant Actin Depolymerizing Factor protein (ADF) turn yellow sooner than their wild-type counterparts. This accelerated aging was observed not only under normal conditions but also when subjected to dark conditions.

Professor Inada explained the significance of this research, saying, “ADFs are involved in leaf aging, disease response, and plant growth control. Further elucidation of the function of ADFs can help contribute to crop yield improvement and enhanced sustainability of agricultural production.”

This study sheds new light on the complex relationships between a plant’s defense mechanisms and its overall health span, highlighting the need for further research into the roles of ADFs in plant biology.