“The process of creating new crops that can withstand climatic attacks usually takes time. “The solutions will most likely be discovered from very diverse areas of research, from molecular gene editing technology to the exploitation of vast global collections of seeds that have been conserved for centuries,” said the specialized reporter. Kim Stevenson to The New York Times portal and added: “Plus, of course, these new fruits and vegetables have to taste good.”
“We can take advantage of these technical methods to find climate solutions, but they will be of no use if people do not want to eat those products,” he explained. Michael Kantar associate professor at University of Hawaii, Manoa campus, which is dedicated to the study of wild relatives of existing crops. A proposal applied to fruits and vegetables in the face of the onslaught of climate change is being analyzed by various specialists.
Among the innovations are heat-resistant cherries. To produce fruit, cherry trees need periods that breeders classify as cold hours: at least the equivalent of a month in accumulated hours of temperatures between 0 and 7 degrees Celsius. If the winter is very mild, flowering is erratic and sometimes cultivation is not achieved.
Nowadays, it is increasingly difficult for cherry trees to have enough cold hours in some regions. One solution is the heart-shaped fruit Cheery Cupid by International Fruit Geneticsa company that was recently acquired by Bloom Fresh. These types of cherries only need about a third of the usual amount of cold weather. “What we tried was to make them more tolerant to the summer climate so that they resist this tremendous heat, but they also have to survive a hotter winter,” he reported. Chris Owens, the company’s main reference for plant products. Furthermore, he stated that the Cherry Cupid They are juicier and sweeter than other cherries.
When a cauliflower matures, its green leaves open and expose the white head, called the head. The bud is very sensitive to sunlight; If it gets too much sunlight, it can turn beige and stained, and so it won’t sell. To prevent this from happening, about two weeks before harvest, farmers fold the leaves by hand so that they cover the bud, an expensive and laborious method.
But as an alternative, growers developed truly white cauliflower. Destination. In essence, it does not burn. Plus, it’s better for the soil because fewer workers walk through the fields. Destinica is an example of the group of climate-friendly cauliflowers that have been developed by Syngenta Vegetable Seedsa project that is part of Syngenta, an agricultural company of Chinese origin based in Switzerland.
A group of researchers from Texas A&M University Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center began trying to produce melons that can survive climate change. To this end, the university, with financing from the United States Department of Agriculturepresented two new melons, the “Supermelon” and “Flavorific”, with deeper root systems that can obtain more water from the soil in order to survive droughts. Those who have tried it say that these melons are sweet, with dense pulp, and have just been made available to farmers.
Phil Simonprofessor of horticulture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has spent more than a decade trying to produce a carrot whose seeds can germinate even in hot, dry, saline soil. In a drought, there is not enough moisture to dilute the mineral salts in the groundwater. And it turns out that carrots do not tolerate salinity, especially when they have just sprung from seeds and are a week or two away from harvest.
One idea is to cross sweet, orange commercial carrots with wild carrots that can withstand heat. However, he clarified that perfecting that combination could take another 10 or 15 years. It is known that it will not be the first carrot designed for sustainability purposes in a changing climate. In 2003, the Eskimoa flat Nantes carrot with a reduced carbon footprint, designed to grow well in the cold northern European winter.
Potatoes require a steady, moderate supply of water and prefer a cool climate, but temperatures are changing so rapidly that a well-known Scottish plant researcher recently warned that the potato industry faces an “existential threat.” To counteract these circumstances, researchers from the University of Mainehave dedicated themselves to studying genetics that can help potatoes survive extreme heat and flooding conditions.
They are also exploring options to combat new waves of typical pests and diseases in wetter and hotter conditions. “A strategy that is being studied in other laboratories is the creation of plants whose leaves have more trichomes, which makes it difficult for insects to go from one crop to another. “It will take at least five or six years to have potatoes ready for frying, that can withstand climate change and be used by farmers,” he indicated. Greg Porter, professor of ecology and crop management.
Finally, apples were in consideration. “Successfully developing a new apple takes time. It usually takes 20 years,” he explained. Kate Evanshorticulturist, fruit producer and professor at the Washington State University, and added: “It is one of the reasons why Cosmic Crisp, a climate-conscious apple that grows well in low sunlight, was praised after he helped bring it to market in 2019. This heat-tolerant variety now grows on 21 million trees in the state of Washington”.
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