Crops of the future: Potatoes that thrive in heatwaves

Potatoes could hold the key to addressing the challenges posed by frequent and intense heatwaves, which are becoming more common in different regions of the world.

These resilient crops are crucial in safeguarding global food supplies as climate change continues to disrupt traditional farming practices.

“We need to produce crops that can withstand more frequent and intense heatwave events if we are going to meet the population’s need for food in regions most at risk from reduced yields due to global warming,” said Katherine Meacham-Hensold, scientific manager for the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project at the University of Illinois.

Working under the auspices of this project, the research team has engineered a potato that not only withstands extreme weather conditions but also thrives in them, promising greater food security for many.

The promise of a climate-ready potato

While studying the effects of global warming on crop yields, Meacham-Hensold and her team found that this new breed of potato could yield a 30% increase in tuber mass under heatwave conditions compared to its conventional counterparts.

“The 30% increase in tuber mass observed in our field trials shows the promise of improving photosynthesis to enable climate-ready crops,” she said.

The team operates under the banner of RIPE, an international research project that seeks to address global food scarcity by enhancing the ability of food crops to convert the sun’s energy into edible matter.

Since its inception in 2017, RIPE has garnered support from numerous entities such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, and the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

The silent enemy: Photorespiration

Photorespiration is a core issue that reduces crop yields. It refers to an energy-consuming process wherein the plant enzyme Rubisco, which is responsible for fixing carbon dioxide into organic molecules, reacts more readily with oxygen than with carbon dioxide when the ambient temperatures are high.

This challenge is particularly pronounced in crops like potatoes, where high temperatures can significantly hinder growth and productivity.

The reaction results in the production of a harmful byproduct called glycolate that, if not dealt with, can severely impair the plant’s growth.

“Photorespiration is a large energy cost for the plant,” explained Meacham-Hensold. “It takes away from food production as energy is diverted to metabolizing the toxin. Our goal was to reduce the amount of wasted energy by bypassing the plant’s original photorespiratory pathway.”

Potatoes that can thrive in a heatwave

By introducing two new genes into the potato’s DNA, the team managed to improve photosynthetic efficiency.

These genes, glycolate dehydrogenase and malate synthase, help the plant metabolize the toxin in the chloroplast (the leaf compartment responsible for photosynthesis), eliminating the need for energy-draining transfer of the toxin to other parts of the cell.

This solution led to substantial growth gains in the test crops. The benefits of these modifications were further intensified under heatwave conditions, making these crops more resilient to the changing climate.

On a testing field in the year 2022, during a heatwave that consistently broke over 95°F (35°C), the modified potatoes yielded 30% more tubers than the control group.

Crops that resist global warming

Notably, the team’s genetic engineering did not compromise the nutritional quality of the crop yield.

“Food security is not just about the amount of calories that can be produced but we must also consider the quality of the food,” noted Don Ort, the Robert Emerson Professor of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences, and Deputy Director of the RIPE project.

While further multi-location field trials are needed to confirm the findings, the promising results in potatoes open the possibility of applying similar modifications to other tuber crops. These might include cassava, a staple food in some Sub-Saharan African countries that is expected to be heavily impacted by increasing global temperatures.

In conclusion, the research by scientists from the University of Illinois presents a ray of hope in the battle against climate change.

By creating crops that not only resist the impacts of global warming but also thrive under them, we are taking steps toward a future where every table has food, and no one is left hungry.

The full study was published in the journal Global Change Biology.

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