Thursday, 30 November 2023
KaitaiaWhangareiDargavilleAucklandThamesTaurangaHamiltonWhakataneRotoruaTokoroaTe KuitiTaumarunuiTaupoGisborneNew PlymouthNapierHastingsDannevirkeWhanganuiPalmerston NorthLevinParaparaumuMastertonWellingtonMotuekaNelsonBlenheimWestportReeftonKaikouraGreymouthHokitikaChristchurchAshburtonTimaruWanakaOamaruQueenstownDunedinGoreInvercargill
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDRIVEN Car GuideThe CountryPhoto SalesiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub
Voyager 2023 media awards
Subscribe

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

Survival of plants top of the agenda

NZ Herald
Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail

While the politics of climate change are being played out in Canberra, many of the world's leading botanists are in Melbourne discussing the science of survival for the planet's plant life.

Researchers at the week-long International Botanical Congress warn of implications ranging from the threat to future food supplies from declining agricultural land and potential clashes between farming and crucial ecosystems to impacts on grape-growing for wine.

And as demand grows for new means of feeding a global population expected to reach 9.5 billion this century, scientists worry that funding for agricultural research is falling around the world.

Scientists said cutting-edge technology and genetic modification would not be enough to provide the grains needed to cater to a 35 per cent rise in the number of people on the planet.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Instead, a range of strategies was needed, including the development of more resource-efficient crops and increasing productivity on land that is not being used to its full potential.

"By identifying agricultural land that has not yet reached its full cropping potential we can direct yield intensification efforts - including crop genetic improvement and soil, nutrient and water management - to where they will be most productive," said University of Nebraska Professor Kenneth Cassman.

He said this could help avert a massive expansion of the land needed for crop production at the expense of carbon-rich and biodiverse rainforests, wetlands and savannah.

Dr Richard Richards of the Australian science agency CSIRO's plant industry division said scientists from a wide spectrum of disciplines would be needed.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

"We need to combine advances in genetic technologies with opportunities for better crop management," he said.

"Genetic engineering has already made major contributions to pest and disease resistance and contributes to improved management practices but is unlikely to result in significant advances in yield or tolerance to stress," he said.

CSIRO researchers are also investigating the potentially damaging effects climate change will have on Australia's agricultural crops and native plants as carbon dioxide concentrations, temperatures and rainfall patterns change.

"We're facing an urgent need to develop new crop varieties for anticipated conditions in 20 to 50 years," said Dr Jairo Palta, a team leader with the agency's climate-ready cereals project .

Related articles

World

Carbon tax plan: Gillard stands her ground

13 Jul 05:30 PM
New Zealand

Global warming 'influencing weather extremes'

14 Jul 05:30 PM
New Zealand

The climate dissenter holds his ground

15 Jul 05:30 PM
World

Labor dismisses talk of leadership change

18 Jul 01:12 AM

Other researchers are studying potential strategies such as the controversial option of relocating plant and animal species under threat.

Moving species to areas that will be better suited to their survival - but where they have not yet lived - may become a key option as climate changes faster than they can adapt or disperse.

"While the virtues of managed relocation of species are being debated by the scientific community, the reality is that it is already occurring," said researchers from CSIRO, University of Queensland and United States Geological Survey in the journal Nature Climate Change.

"Without relocating species we are destined to lose some of our most important and iconic wildlife but at the end of the day we also need viable ecosystems into which we can move species," said CSIRO researcher Dr Tara Martin.

"Managed relocation is not a quick fix. It will be used in some specific circumstances for species that we really care about, but it will not be a saviour for all biodiversity in the face of climate change."

Melbourne University Professor Snow Barlow said winemakers needed to take climate change in their stride.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

He said grape harvest dates in Australia were moving earlier by an average of 1-3 days a year.

"Either [winemakers] evolve the taste of their wines to something a little different because of the changing characters of their grapes, or they grow and employ another grape variety, or they change the region where they source their grapes," he said.

Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

World

Double murderer begs to not be released over chilling cold case

29 Nov 06:33 AM
Premium
World

A Gaza truce aids both sides. Until the calculus changes

29 Nov 02:42 AM
World

Singer’s partner jailed 16 years after ‘extreme’ murder

29 Nov 02:32 AM
World

Aussie cop facing manslaughter charge for tasering 95-year-old gran

29 Nov 12:23 AM

Top toys of 2023 for kids & ‘kidults’

sponsored

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

Double murderer begs to not be released over chilling cold case

Double murderer begs to not be released over chilling cold case

29 Nov 06:33 AM

Chilling details of a gruesome 1992 murder have been revealed.

Premium
A Gaza truce aids both sides. Until the calculus changes

A Gaza truce aids both sides. Until the calculus changes

29 Nov 02:42 AM
Singer’s partner jailed 16 years after ‘extreme’ murder

Singer’s partner jailed 16 years after ‘extreme’ murder

29 Nov 02:32 AM
Aussie cop facing manslaughter charge for tasering 95-year-old gran

Aussie cop facing manslaughter charge for tasering 95-year-old gran

29 Nov 12:23 AM
Toy trends for Christmas
sponsored

Toy trends for Christmas

About NZMEHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to NZ HeraldHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionNZ Herald E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2023 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP