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Gene switch makes crops drought-resistant when needed Agnet | September 30, 2006 A unique type of transgenic crop could benefit food growers worldwide by turning on a gene that would resist drought -- but only when the plant begins to dry out. David Dennis was quoted saying, "We have a technology, a gene, that gives you a plant that's drought resistant. The system that we've developed switches on only during drought. During normal growth, if a plant's got water, the system is switched off, as if the gene wasn't there. Tomorrow's superstorms may speed erosion ARS News Service | September 29, 2006 Rainstorms 50 to 100 years from now may be more intense and more frequent than today's, and may pack more soil-eroding power. Stormwaters running off landscapes--orchards, vineyards, even hilly backyards or parklands--could increase by a worrisome 20 to 30 percent in some parts of America. In turn, the runoff might wash away 25 to 50 percent more soil, the researchers' experiments suggest. Australia's Economy Feels a Pang as Farms Thirst Planet Ark | Wayne Cole | September 28, 2006 Drought is again gripping Australia's farms, threatening to sap economic growth and complicate life for policy makers as they ponder whether to raise interest rates again. Agricultural output, including wheat, barley and sugar, still makes up 16 percent of exports and is prone to violent swings from year to year. A severe drought could wipe 0.8 percentage point off Australia's growth rate. Water Scarcity Crossing National Borders Environmental News Network | Wayne Cole | September 28, 2006 Historically, water scarcity was a local issue. It was up to national governments to balance water supply and demand. Now this is changing as scarcity crosses national boundaries via the international grain trade. Since it takes 1,000 tons of water to produce one ton of grain, importing grain is the most efficient way to import water. Countries are, in effect, using grain to balance their water books. Similarly, trading in grain futures is in a sense trading in water futures. Climate change to hit SA agriculture hard Business World | September 27, 2006 Climatologists predict that the Southern and Eastern Cape, among other areas, is likely to experience more frequent flooding and the Western Cape is said to become dryer. These are factors against which farmers will need to insure themselves and possibly adapt by introducing hardier variations of crops better suited to the changing weather in their areas. It is important that farmers consider new production techniques, new crops or new varieties within crops and also contact their brokers to find out more about the cover available to them now and in the future. Extreme-weather talks for farmers The New Zealand Herald | September 22, 2006 People are being asked around the country how farms and vineyards can be saved from devastating weather. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will hold meetings next month seeking feedback on "building resilience" to extreme weather and natural disasters. Grain drain threatens to have national impact The Age | Nassim Khadem | September 20, 2006 Farmers are praying for substantial rainfall in spring, after months of dry weather have resulted in an expected fall in Australia's winter crop production. Economists warn that unless conditions improve, it won't just be farmers that suffer: there will be wide-ranging economic implications resulting from reduced spending in regional towns and lower export income. Dying Aspen sunflower could signal future climate warming damage Agnet | September 19, 2006 David Inouye, professor of biology at the University of Maryland, has found that climate change is damaging the Aspen sunflower of the Rocky Mountains. The sunflower could be a “canary in the mine,” warning of future ecological consequences of a warming climate. The increasing frequency of frost damage appears to be a consequence of climate change. Specifically, the decline in winter snowfall and increasing spring temperatures are causing plants to begin growth earlier in the spring, and then to have sensitive flower buds at the time in mid-June when we are still likely to have hard frosts. Forecaster slashes crop predictions The Age | September 19, 2006 Australia's farmers can expect dramatically reduced yields for winter and summer crops. Drought is ravaging agriculture across the country. "The total area sown to winter crops in Australia is estimated to be down by 15 per cent at around 18.6 million hectares in 2006/07," the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) forecast says. Leading the winter crops is wheat which ABARE says will be down by 14 per cent to 11.1 million hectares. And the forecast for Australia's summer crops is no better. Hungary Region Battles Advancing Sand Dunes, Floods Planet Ark | Andras Gergely | September 18, 2006 Grapes still feature on the coat of arms of this small Hungarian town but in the dry fields, weeds are taking over from vines and fruit trees. The sandy soil around Morahalom in southern Hungary is getting alarmingly dry, and experts and locals warn that a large area of the region risks turning into desert. Deputy Mayor Csanyi is seeking ways to mitigate the effects of the creeping sand and says one solution could be to find a way of storing rainwater during storms or floods. Lining fields with water efficient tree species could also provide shelter from the strong winds that shift the sand and speed up the evaporation of water. Irrigation needs to become more efficient, too, aiming water straight at the plants to save every drop. Drought As The 'New Normal' Science Daily | September 15, 2006 It's perfectly possible to plan for droughts and minimize the losses they cause. In fact Australia has set in place policies that blaze a trail for the US follow to some extent. Like Australia, the most normal thing about climate in the Central and Western U.S. is that it has no norm. Unlike Australia, however, the U.S. still reacts to droughts as if they are unexpected emergencies -- which they aren't. What's more, reacting to droughts is more expensive than planning. Climate change and increasing population are not expected to make droughts any easier in the U.S. So there is no time to lose in creating a national drought policy. Bad Year for Wheat Stem Sawfly Damage Agri-ville | September 12, 2006 Agriculture Canada Research Agronomist Brian Beres toured Saskatchewan earlier this month. He saw significant cutting damage across southwest, west-central and central regions. The insect reduces yields by feeding inside the stem. However, the biggest loss comes when the stem is cut and the plant falls to the ground, making it difficult to pick it up for harvest. Wheat stem sawfly thrives in drier conditions. Populations have been building for the past three or four years. Beres says growers should not give up on solid stem varieties if they had problems this year. He also recommends leaving cereals out of crop rotations for 2 years in heavily infested areas. Spain's Searing Drought Drains Water Supplies Planet Ark | September 6, 2006 Spain's searing drought has sapped water reserves to record lows for the time of year, threatening supplies to the populous southern regions of Alicante and Murcia. Water levels were 31 percent below the decade's average and below the same point in 2005 -- a year declared the worst for rainfall since records began 147 years ago. Irrigation water in Murcia and across the south has already been rationed and is likely to reduce the maize crop this year. The power industry is also suffering. U.N. all wet on water issues The Washington Times | Henry I. Miller | September 6, 2006 Wars have been fought over politics, economics, territory, ethnic origin, race, religion and national pride. We may soon have to add a new reason: water, which is in increasingly short supply -- and sought after -- worldwide. Gene-splicing offers plant breeders the tools to make old crop plants do spectacular new things. But research is hampered by resistance from activists and discouraged by governmental overregulation -- including by the U.N. agency that sets international food standards, and by onerous, unscientific regulation of field trials under the CBD. Water shortages, climate change could be disastrous for southern Alta Canadian Press | Bill Graveland | September 6, 2006 Southern Alberta could be returning to the dust-bowl conditions of the 1930s if action isn't taken to ease the strain on the Bow and Oldman rivers. David Schindler from the University of Alberta warns that the South Saskatchewan River, which feeds the Oldman River in deep southern Alberta, as well as the Bow River which runs through Calgary, are already under strain from agricultural and human use. Add to that the fact that the temperature in the area has risen an average of three degrees in the last 30 years and the danger is real, he said. The strain on the two tributaries of the South Saskatchewan River can be minimized but only if there is a serious move toward conservation. Australia Hit By Driest August on Record Planet Ark | September 5, 2006 Australia faced a widespread risk of bushfires and worsening water shortages after its driest August since records began in 1900 and its warmest August since 1950. If the current low rainfall and high temperatures persist, the consequences will be wide-ranging, including an elevated bushfire risk this coming summer and escalating water shortages and restrictions. Severe downgrades of the estimated size of Australia's wheat crop in recent months have already cut it to 30 percent less than last year. Global changes alter plant growth schedule Agnet | September 5, 2006 Any gardener knows that different plant species mature at different times. Scientists studying natural plant communities know this phenomenon allows species to co-exist by reducing overlap so there is less competition for limited resources. Scientists working in a natural grassland ecosystem in California have now found evidence that climate change may alter this delicate balance. They found that the overall timing of plant growth was delayed under elevated CO2. Adapt to climate change, economist urges Yahoo News | September 4, 2006 Countries should prepare policies to adapt to climate change as well as efforts to lessen its impact. Adaptation policies have had far less attention than mitigation, and that is a mistake. Adaptation policies would have advantages over mitigation efforts because they would not involve complicated international negotiations and they can be done at a national and even local level. Any efforts to mitigate or adapt to climate change will be much easier to implement if the public believe they are necessary, so governments must find ways to influence public opinion. Drought Leaves Australian Cattle no Where to Graze Planet Ark | Michael Byrnes | September 4, 2006 Drought-hit Australian farmers are being forced to return tens of thousands of head of cattle to parched paddocks and expensive hand feeding as a worsening drought leaves the country's usually green stock routes barren. Cattlemen say they can no longer rely on "the long paddock", the stock routes that follow country roads where dew and rainfall run-off usually produces strips of green feed. Battling drought and high trucking costs because of soaring petrol prices, farmers began sending cattle out to graze the roadsides around three months ago -- a sure sign of trouble. Heat, Drought Take Rising Toll on Southwest China Planet Ark | September 4, 2006 The worst drought to hit southwest China in more than a century is spreading to neighbouring provinces with temperatures reaching record highs. The densely populated municipality of Chongqing and eastern parts of Sichuan province have been plagued by repeated heatwaves and have seen no significant rainfall since early July. The drought is the worst since 1891 when meteorological records began in Chongqing. The impact has been broad. Crop production is down and vegetable prices are soaring. NAC over expression makes rice drought, stress tolerant Agnet | September 4, 2006 Drought and salinity are major abiotic stresses to rice production, and have long been targeted in designing better rice. To cope with such adverse conditions, plants develop physiological and biochemical strategies, such as by activating stress-related genes and synthesizing diverse functional proteins. Scientists found that transgenic rice had better drought resistance, and 22-35% higher seed setting than controls in the field under severe drought stress conditions at the reproductive stage. The transgenic rice also showed significantly improved drought resistance and salt tolerance at the vegetative stage. |
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