Potatoes that are not afraid of heat: scientists have developed a productive variety for arid climates
Every year, heat has an increasingly greater impact on agriculture around the world. In these conditions, scientists have developed a potato variety that can not only survive extreme temperatures, but also produce a 30% higher yield compared to conventional varieties. This discovery may be key to food security in the context of global warming.
The work was carried out as part of the RIPE project, which aims to increase the efficiency of photosynthesis - the process by which plants convert sunlight into energy. It turned out that in the heat, potatoes lose up to half of their productivity due to an internal error in the Rubisco enzyme. Scientists eliminated this problem by adding two genes that allow the plant to save energy and not waste it on "self-cleaning" from harmful compounds.
Experimental fields in the US have shown that the new potato variety is resistant to heat stress, retains its nutritional properties, and requires less water. This is especially important for countries with hot climates and limited water resources, such as Turkmenistan. For example, farmers in Idaho used to lose up to 15% of their crops due to heat, but with the new variety, these losses were reduced.
The developers emphasize that the technology can be applied to other crops. The potato is currently undergoing regulatory testing, and may appear on the market in the coming years. Given its high resistance and productivity, it is already of interest to international agricultural companies.
Potatoes are one of the world's main food crops. They produce a comparable amount of calories to rice and corn, but are less demanding in care. The introduction of heat-resistant varieties can seriously affect food sustainability not only in developing countries, but also in the Central Asian region.
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