By Lucy Dewhurst –
Degraded soils, higher temperatures and reduced water availability. Just a few factors that crop growth could be affected by in years to come as the environment takes on more strain [1]. Potentially reducing agricultural crop productivity in a planet already struggling to feed its population.
Figure 1: Corn crop failure due to the affects of drought in Texas, USA. USDA photo by Bob Nichols, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Currently, over 800 million people go hungry even before climate change consequences are accounted for – that’s just under 10% of the global population [2,3]. Imagine what this figure could be like a few years down the line without intervention alongside experiencing more severe climate impacts! Unsurprisingly, those most affected live in less developed countries and experience frequent drought and flooding events related to global warming [4].
Kaya et al. carried out a study applying silicon to nutrient solutions with maize seedlings exposed to differing levels of water stress [5]. They found growth improved as the amount of silicon increased, increasing the amount of potassium levels in the maize – enabling better survival under high water stress [5]. Water is a necessity for plant growth however with more severe droughts caused by climate change water availability in vulnerable areas is becoming more unpredictable which could lead to crop failures (shown in figure 1) [5,7]. The addition of silicon could be a potential solution for these crops in dry, hot environments where water is low in abundance, particularly as a rise of more than 2 °C in global temperature could result in up to 4 billion people facing increasing water shortages [5,8]. Additional to their findings there was limited development in crops that already had an adequate water supply, highlighting how we can’t necessarily rely on this as a permanent solution for enhancing crop production in non – arid regions [5].
Similarly, Verma et al. investigated how silicon and plant bacteria (particularly rhizobacteria) can be added to help crops deal with different abiotic (non – living) stresses [1]. Rhizobacteria strengthens root binding to the soil and allows more air spaces and water to move through the soil – improving soil profile [6]. This is significant as their report suggests that land degradation will become a major threat to food security in the future [1]. Demonstrating the need to preserve the land we have, lessening the need for crop adaptation and therefore modification.
Overall, the experiment on maize crops by Kaya et al. exemplifies ways we can modify crop growth and limit the effects of extreme climate conditions – especially, water deficit [5]. Therefore, being able to alleviate food insecurity. Alongside this, research into modifying crops to address food security in a world with climate change is becoming vital, on a global scale [1]. As current crop production and food systems won’t be sufficient for our future needs. The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) state “the current rate of progress will not be enough to eradicate hunger by 2030, and not even by 2050.” [9]
References and further reading
[1] Verma, K. K., Song, X. P., Li, D. M., Singh, M., Rajput, V. D., Malviya, M.K., Minkina, T., Singh, R. K., Singh, P & Li, Y. R. (2020) Interactive Role of Silicon and Plant- Rhizobacteria Mitigating Abiotic Stresses: A New Approach for Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change. Plants (Basel) 9, 1-19.
[2] United Nations (2021) COP 26: Act now on climate crisis or millions more will be pushed into hunger and famine. https://www.wfp.org/stories/cop26-climate-change-hunger-famine-wfp-united-nations [11.10.21]
[3] Action Against Hunger (2021) World Hunger: Key Facts and Statistics 2021 https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/world-hunger-facts-statistics [26.11.21]
[4] Mundasad, S. (2018) Global hunger increasing, UN warns. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-45477930[17.11.21]
[5] Kaya, C., Tuna, L. & Higgs, D. (2007) Effect of Silicon on Plant Growth and Mineral Nutrition of Maize Grown Under Water – Stress Conditions. Journal of Plant Nutrition 29, 1469-1480.
[6] USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (2008) Soil Quality Indicators. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_053287.pdf [17.10.21]
[7] United Nations (ND) Water and Climate Change. https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/climate-change/[18.11.21]
[8] Holden, J. (2012) Introduction to Physical Geography and the Environment. Harlow: Pearson Education.
[9] Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (2017) The future of food and agriculture. Trends and challenges. (Quote on page 4) https://www.fao.org/3/i6583e/i6583e.pdf [21.11.21]
