Geline Salac

China scientists rush to climate-proof potatoes

Article (news)

Reuters Wires

In a research facility in the northwest of Beijing, molecular biologist Li Jieping and his team harvest a cluster of seven unusually small potatoes, one as tiny as a quail&#x27;s egg, from a potted plant.Grown under conditions that simulate predictions of higher temperatures at the end of the century, the potatoes provide an ominous sign of future food security.At just 136 grams (4.8 ounces), the tubers weigh less than half that of a typical potato in China, where the most popular varieties are often twice the size of a baseball.China is the world&#x27;s biggest producer of potatoes, which are crucial to global food security because of their high yield relative to other staple crops.But they are particularly vulnerable to heat, and climate change, driven by fossil fuel emissions, is pushing temperatures to dangerous new heights while also worsening drought and flooding.With an urgent need to protect food supplies, Li, a researcher at the International Potato Center (CIP) in Beijing, is leading a three-year study into the effects of higher temperatures on the vegetable. His team is focusing on China&#x27;s two most common varieties.The difference of a few degrees Celsius &quot;has had a significant impact on yield&quot;, Li said.His team grew their crop over three months in a walk-in chamber set at 3°C above the current average temperature in northern Hebei and Inner Mongolia, the higher altitude provinces where potatoes are usually grown in China.&quot;I feel it is worrying,&quot; said Li. &quot;That means it will notably reduce the output of current potato varieties.&quot;Their research, published in the journal Climate Smart Agriculture this month, found that higher temperatures accelerated tuber growth by 10 days, but cut potato yields by more than half.Under current climate policies, the world is facing as much as 3.1°C of warming above pre-industrial levels by 2100, according to a United Nations report released in October.Farmers in China say they are already feeling the effect of extreme weather events.In Inner Mongolia, dozens of workers clutching white sacks rush to gather potatoes dug up from the soil before the next downpour.&quot;The biggest challenge for potatoes this year has been the heavy rainfall,&quot; said manager Wang Shiyi. &quot;It has caused several issues... and significantly delayed the harvesting process.&quot;Meanwhile, seed potato producer Yakeshi Senfeng Potato Industry Company has invested in an aeroponic system where plants are grown without soil, with their roots suspended in the air under controlled conditions.Farmers are increasingly demanding potato varieties that are higher-yielding and less susceptible to disease, particularly late blight, which caused the Irish Potato Famine of the mid-19th century and thrives in warm and humid conditions.&quot;New, more aggressive (late blight) strains have begun to emerge, and they are more resistant to traditional prevention and control methods,&quot; said general manager Li Xuemin, explaining the Inner Mongolia-based company&#x27;s strategy.The research by CIP, which is headquartered in Lima, is part of a collaborative effort with the Chinese government to help farmers adapt to the warmer, wetter conditions.In the greenhouse outside Li&#x27;s lab, workers swab pollen on white potato flowers to develop heat-tolerant varieties.Li says Chinese farmers will need to make changes within the next decade, planting during spring instead of the start of summer, or moving to even higher altitudes to escape the heat.&quot;The reality is climate change is happening,&quot; said Li, adding that China&#x27;s leadership wants to develop solutions and strategies before the negative impact on crop yields take hold.&quot;That is also what&#x27;s guiding the international cooperation project we’re working on.&quot;

In a research facility in the northwest of Beijing, molecular biologist Li Jieping and his team harvest a cluster of seven unusually small potatoes, one as tiny as a quail's egg, from a potted plant.

In a research facility in the northwest of Beijing, molecular biologist Li Jieping and his team harvest a cluster of seven unusually small potatoes, one as tiny as a quail's egg, from a potted plant.

China scientists rush to climate-proof potatoes

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China scientists rush to climate-proof potatoes

Reuters

Published November 28, 2024 09:35 AM PHT

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