University of Calgary plant biologist Marcus Samuel is pictured in this file photo. He's one of numerous scientists pursuing the development of a drought-resistant wheat strain.
Plant biologist Marcus Samuel has been working for more than a decade to improve the climate resilience of crops. While he has worked on canola, peas and other crops, perhaps the most elusive and exciting part of his work is the quest for drought-resistant wheat.University of Calgary plant biologist Marcus Samuel is pictured in this file photo. He's one of numerous scientists pursuing the development of a drought-resistant wheat strain.
Samuel is just one of many scientists in Canada and around the world pursuing the development of a drought-resistant wheat strain.Wheat is the most widely grown cereal grain, occupying 17 per cent of the total cultivated land in the world, according to the International Development Research Centre, a federal Crown corporation.
The Washington, D.C.-based World Resources Institute estimates that by 2040, nearly three-quarters of global wheat production will be under threat due to drought and climate change-induced water supply stress. And truly drought-tolerant wheat remains elusive, even as the need for it becomes more urgent due to climate change. Canada, for example, saw its total wheat production decline almost 40 per cent year-over-year in 2021 due to extreme heat and drought on the prairies.
The most dramatic of these was a 2020 announcement that Argentine scientists had developed the first genetically engineered wheat, which incorporates a drought-resistant gene from the sunflower plant.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Scientists are on a quest for drought-resistant wheat, agriculture's 'Holy Grail'CALGARY — Plant biologist Marcus Samuel has been working for more than a decade to improve the climate resilience of crops.
Read more »
Scientists are on a quest for drought-resistant wheat, agriculture's 'Holy Grail'CALGARY — Plant biologist Marcus Samuel has been working for more than a decade to improve the climate resilience of crops.
Read more »
Scientists are on a quest for drought-resistant wheat, agriculture's 'Holy Grail'Plant biologist Marcus Samuel has been working for more than a decade to improve the climate resilience of crops.
Read more »
University of Toronto protesters say university giving them 'the runaround,' not addressing demandsOrganizers of a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at the University of Toronto say the university is ignoring their demands and instead focusing on the logistics of the demonstration.
Read more »
Modi Files Papers to Contest Election From Holy City of VaranasiIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi filed his nomination papers to contest elections from Varanasi, a city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh steeped in religious significance for the country’s Hindu majority.
Read more »
India’s Holy City Set to Bless Modi With a Third Straight Win in ElectionsEach day, Bloomberg journalists take you across a selection of towns and cities as they gear up for the big vote.
Read more »