ASBMB TODAY - Scientists explore genetic and biochemical innovations fueling future-proofing agriculture.
Adapting to changing temperatures
Many people think of higher temperatures and heat waves when they think of climate change, but cool seasons are also affected.
According to the U.S. Climate Program Office, the expanding Arctic polar vortex —a strong band of winds in the stratosphere around the North Pole — is bringing extreme winters to parts of the U.S. Colder temperatures stunt the growth and productivity of essential crops such as sorghum, a close relative of corn found in some cereals and pastas.
To combat food insecurity caused by extreme temperatures, Rebecca Roston, the Nebraska plant sciences professor, and Sunil Kenchanmane Raju, Roston’s collaborator and an assistant professor of plant resilience at the University of California Riverside, use omics to make crops like sorghum resistant to chilling stress. View the paper in the Journal of Experimental Botany.