Genetically modified rice…the key to addressing food shortages caused by climate change

Genetically modified rice…the key to addressing food shortages caused by climate change

According to researchers at the University of Sheffield, reducing the number of pores (stomata) in the rice plant (genetically modified rice) will make it more tolerant to salt water. Thus being able to grow it in new places that were not possible before.

As sea levels rise, salt water is reaching places it could not have reached before; This causes increased damage to crops, but scientists at the University of Sheffield discovered years ago that rice with fewer pores is more resistant to drought, as it requires up to 60 percent less water. Recently, university scientists discovered that the same species is able to grow in high-salinity conditions.

For those who do not know, the pores in different types of plants are very fine openings, located on the outside of the plant’s leaves, specifically on the underside of the leaf. This is to avoid direct sunlight. These pores or stomata allow the exchange of gases – such as water vapor and carbon dioxide – between the plant and the atmospheric air.

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It can be said that rice is the most important food crop on Earth, as approximately 3.5 billion people depend on it every day for their diet, but it consumes up to 30 percent of the world’s fresh water supply to grow it.

New research from the University of Sheffield has found that genetically engineering rice for better salt tolerance could allow it to grow in places where it was previously doomed to fail.

With sea levels rising – as a result of climate change – many countries around the world are struggling with the encroachment of huge amounts of salt water, which flows from the sea into coastal cities. Destroying those crops that cannot withstand high levels of salinity.

Rice is considered one of the crops most affected by sea level rise. As we mentioned, rice is the most important type of carbohydrate on Earth, but growing rice in countries like Vietnam has become more difficult. Due to the constant encroachment of sea water. However, findings by the University of Sheffield’s Sustainable Food Institute have revealed that rice genetically modified to reduce the number of pores can be significantly more resistant to salinity.

Adaptation of rice to climate change

Pores (stomata) are openings that most plants have, to regulate the process of absorbing carbon dioxide, and subsequently the process of photosynthesis, in addition to the release of water vapor into the atmospheric air. Several years ago, Sheffield scientists revealed that reducing the number and size of pores in rice plants made it possible to use 60 percent less water, making this type of genetically modified rice a very promising option in places more prone to drought.

These results, published in the scientific journal “New Phytologist”, mean that rice can adapt to survive in environments that have become harsher due toclimate change, which could significantly help address the problem of food insecurity around the world.

But on the other hand, researchers also discovered that reducing the number and size of pores could make it more difficult to grow rice in extreme temperatures. Therefore, a number of different modifications must be made using genetic engineering before planting, to ensure that the genetically modified rice will achieve the desired goals according to the nature and climate of each country. For example, rice with fewer and larger pores may be better suited to growing in extreme temperatures.

Dr. Robert Kane, from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Sheffield, and lead author of the study, said: “Rice is a very important food crop, eaten by more than half of the world’s population every day. Climate change will play a fundamental role in affecting the food security of the world’s growing population, which is expected to reach 10 billion people within 60 years.”

He added: “Our findings reveal how rice can be genetically modified to grow as effectively as possible in various climates. Genetically modified rice varieties that contain fewer pores can survive with less water and in places with salty water. At the same time, natural rice varieties with fewer and larger pores are able to thrive in extreme temperatures.”

Finally, researchers from the University of Sheffield, working alongside the Higher Agricultural Technology Research Institute (HATRI) in Vietnam, studied 72 rice varieties, both natural and genetically modified. Now, the research team plans to see if they can create varieties of dwarf rice that have the highest crop yields, as well as greater heat resistance.