Scientists explore genetic tools to protect crops from rising global temperatures
Crops around the world are failing as heat waves grow more frequent, and scientists are racing to reengineer plants so they can survive future extremes.
Rebecca Dzombak reports for The New York Times.
In short:
- Researchers are studying genetic adaptations from heat-resilient wild plants to help staple crops like wheat and rice withstand soaring temperatures that stall photosynthesis.
- Three new papers in Science detail strategies like modifying leaf structure, enhancing enzyme function, and altering plants’ internal temperature sensors to improve resilience.
- Despite scientific promise, declining U.S. funding and growing public skepticism of genetically modified foods threaten progress.
Key quote:
“We may get to a point where existing crops don’t have the genetic diversity we need to adapt crops to the growth conditions that we’re going to see in the near future.”
— Carl Bernacchi, crop researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Why this matters:
As the climate warms, global food security faces mounting threats. Many crops, including wheat, corn, and soybeans, cannot perform photosynthesis above 104 degrees Fahrenheit — a threshold now regularly surpassed in key agricultural regions. Heat-stressed plants grow poorly, yield less, and are more vulnerable to disease. Scientists are betting on genetic solutions, looking to desert plants and molecular tweaks to help crops adapt. But technological fixes alone won’t overcome systemic challenges: Regulatory hurdles, tight research budgets, and public distrust of genetic engineering all stand in the way. If crop failure becomes widespread, it won’t just hurt farmers — rising food prices and nutritional gaps could ripple through communities worldwide, especially in places with little room to adapt.
Related: Plants are struggling to breathe in a world full of plastic and smoke
