Plants must increasingly adapt to salinity, drought, floods and other climate-related impacts. From conventional breeding techniques to CRISPR technology for genetically-modified crops, technology can help increase plant tolerance to such stressors. Meanwhile, integrated farming systems like agroforestry are gaining recognition as a means of strengthening crop resiliency and responding to food security threats.
Innovation examples
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3. Agriculture and forestry / Climate-resilient plants / Innovation examplesSeawater rice in China
Getty Images /© SPmemoryRising sea levels lead to salt-water intrusion in groundwater and increased soil salinity. This makes it difficult for crops to survive. Salinity is exacerbated by groundwater depletion driven by droughts and a stronger demand for irrigation. Soils in China are severely affected by this problem.[1] About 100 million hectares of land in China equivalent to the size of Egypt is high in salinity.[2] Farmers traditionally dilute the level of salt in soil by applying large amounts of freshwater. This approach is expensive and wastes water for limited yield improvements. Renowned Chinese agronomist Yuan Longping – dubbed the “father of hybrid rice” – has focused his research on rice since the 1960s. His team eventually made a breakthrough in developing salt-tolerant hybrid rice varieties through advances in traditional breeding techniques; namely, by over-expressing a gene from chosen wild rice more tolerant to salinity. After a series of experiments along coastal areas in China, the hybrids demonstrated high yields of up to 7.5 tons per ha.[3] In 2020, the Qingdao Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Research and Development Center launched an ambitious program of planting the hybrid rice in saline-alkali soils in three cities in Shandong and seven other bases across the country. In 2021, the group was provided with 400,000 hectares of land to expand production of the seawater rice commercially.[4]
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3. Agriculture and forestry / Climate-resilient plants / Innovation examplesInsect-resistant cotton in India
Getty Images /© Leila MelhadoGenetically-modified insect-resistant Bt-cotton was formally released in India in 2002. Genes from the soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis were inserted into the cotton genome to render it toxic to certain insects. This cotton variety is effective at controlling cotton pests, notably common larvae feeding on the cotton fruiting body. Adoption of the Bt-cotton variety has been hugely successful. However, the impact of this GM crop has been controversial. There have even been reports of resistance in some pests, leading to massive breakouts.[1] However, within four years of its introduction, insecticide use on cotton halved and average profits approximately doubled. Five years later and 6.8 million farmers planted 9.4 million ha of Bt-cotton hybrids. Bt-cotton has made India a net exporter of cotton for the first time. For five consecutive years after 2005 India produced over 5.1 million tons of cotton, up from 3 million tons annually before its introduction. The seed quality control introduced with the new hybrids was a major factor in their success. There are now some 780 Bt-cotton varieties with several different genetic traits available from more than 30 companies. Competition and regulation has reduced seed prices from an initially very expensive 1,350 Indian Rupee (INR) (USD 17) for a 450 gram packet to nearly half that price. Moreover, increased profitability has enabled investments into other technologies including better pesticides and weeding implements.[2]
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3. Agriculture and forestry / Climate-resilient plants / Innovation examplesPush-pull technology and intercropping in Kenya
Getty Images /© yuelanPush-pull technology is a novel approach in pest management that was developed by Kenya’s International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) and Britain’s Rothamsted Research in collaboration with partners in Eastern Africa. The approach entails intercropping plant varieties that repel insects together with crops that trap them. In this case, the fodder legume silverleaf desmodium (Desmodium uncinatum) was planted together with maize, Napier and Sudan grass. Aromas produced by the desmodium repel (push) pests like the maize stemborer while scents produced by the grasses attract (pull) the stemborer moths so that they lay eggs in the grass instead of in the maize. Once hatched, the larvae are trapped in a gummy substance produced by the Napier grass which hampers their survival rate. Desmodium roots produce chemicals that stimulate germination of Striga seeds (a major parasite plant also known as Witchweed), but then prevent them from attaching successfully to maize roots. The weed eventually dies and the number of seeds in the soil is also reduced. In addition to enabling this push-pull effect to protect the maize, silverleaf desmodium and the grass both provide quality fodder for livestock. Desmodium also provides good ground cover and fixates nitrogen that improves soil fertility. Finally, biodiversity is improved through the intercropping of multiple species (Khan et al., 2008).
Proven technologies
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3. Agriculture and forestry / Climate-resilient plants / Proven technologiesSelecting typhoon-resistant crops: Cassava and sweet potato
CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB)
Getty Images /© jxfzsyGrowing cassava and sweet potato in the Philippines was found to substantially increase farmers’ climate resilience to extreme weather events such as typhoons. During the super-typhoon Ompong (also known as Mangkhut internationally), which wreaked havoc in the north of the Philippines in 2018, below ground crops such as cassava and sweet potato sustained only limited damage compared to other crops like banana and maize. As a consequence, farmers have started planting root and tuber crops strategically. Cassava has the benefit of providing long-term food security in the face of variable climatic conditions, by being able to be stored in the ground for up to two to three years. The use of tubers as security against extreme weather events is a measure that can be taken in any area where such crops can be grown. The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is an umbrella organization for several public agricultural research institutes.
- Contracting type: Locally available materials
- Technology level: Low
- Country of origin: The Philippines
- Availability: Worldwide
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3. Agriculture and forestry / Climate-resilient plants / Proven technologiesMarker-assisted breeding of climate-resilient rice
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
Photo: © International Rice Research InstituteThe International Rice Research Institute (IRRI, a CGIAR member organization) is using a technology known as marker-assisted breeding (molecular breeding) to develop rice varieties that can withstand drought, flooding, heat, cold and soil salinity. The method provides greater accuracy and speed compared to traditional breeding methods, but without the addition of foreign genetic material into organisms. Examples of drought-tolerant rice varieties that have been developed, released and planted by farmers include Sahbhagi Dhan in India, Sahod Ulan in the Philippines and Sukha Dhan in Nepal. The average yield increase of these varieties is 0.8 to 1.2 tons per ha under drought conditions. Plant breeders have also developed flood-resistant rice through the discovery and isolation of the SUB1 gene that survive being submerged under water for up to 14 days, resulting in a yield increase of 1 to 3 tons for a 10–15 day flood.
- Contracting type: Collaboration
- Technology level: Medium
- Country of origin: The Philippines
- Availability: Asia
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3. Agriculture and forestry / Climate-resilient plants / Proven technologiesPolytunnels for extended growing seasons and crop protection
Haygrove
Getty Images /© Gannet77Haygrove supplies polytunnels, greenhouses, substrate systems and associated technologies to growers of over 30 crops in more than 50 countries worldwide. The products respond to climate change challenges and protect sensitive crops against weather-related impacts. Polytunnels range from easily constructed, small-scale tunnels for subsistence farmers to multi-base structures with mechanical venting and climate control, measuring up to 5 meters in height. The large air volume in the bigger polytunnels means a slower rate of fluctuation in temperature. The tunnel fabric diffuses light and provides a thermal heat barrier that creates a more stable, stress-reduced growing environment for plants. Haygrove also provides double-skin tunnels. These can be up to 40 percent more efficient at retaining heat compared to a standard glasshouse without thermal screens.
- Contracting type: For sale
- Technology level: Medium
- Country of origin: United Kingdom
- Availability: Worldwide
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3. Agriculture and forestry / Climate-resilient plants / Proven technologiesAgroforestry and integrated farming systems for increased resilience
ICRAF
Getty Images /© Michele D'Amico supersky77Agroforestry can increase the resilience of farmlands and landscapes to climatic stress. It does this by integrating trees with crops and/or animals to provide a range of agricultural and forestry products. Agroforestry systems can produce timber and other tree products, as well as food, fodder, fuel and shelter, while protecting ecosystem services provided by the natural environment. Agroforestry can also restore degraded forests and minimize the likelihood of erosion in sloping areas. The Regreening Africa project, led by ICRAF and supported by the European Union, is restoring over one million hectares of degraded land using agroforestry systems and practices in eight Sub-Saharan countries. ICRAF’s “Practitioner’s field guide: agroforestry for climate resilience” provides a set of technical instructions and tools for assisting farmers to design, establish and manage climate-resilient agroforestry practices. ICRAF is a CGIAR member organization.
- Contracting type: Locally available materials
- Technology level: Medium
- Country of origin: N/A
- Availability: Worldwide
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3. Agriculture and forestry / Climate-resilient plants / Proven technologiesCrop diversification and intercropping
Covers & Co.
Getty Images /© Michael EdwardsAccording to the FAO, diversification of crop varieties is a way to hedge against risk of individual crop failure.[1] Before modern agriculture’s practice of monocropping became widespread, intercropping was a common method offering a sustainable means of growing different crop species together. Under the right conditions, traditional intercropping outperforms modern systems in terms of yield. Legume–cereal intercropping generally outperforms monocrop approaches, as legumes provide additional nitrogen and phosphorus to the cereal crop. Intercropping is gaining attention once again as a climate-resilient and sustainable farming method.[2] Intercropping can be used in mechanized farming, and in the United States strip-cropping is popular where wheat, corn and soybeans are grown alternately, six rows each. Covers & Co. is a cover crop and forage seed supplier specializing in diversified farming practices that improve soil resilience and lower input costs through methods like relay cropping and intercropping.
- Contracting type: Services
- Technology level: Low
- Country of origin: Canada
- Availability: Worldwide
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3. Agriculture and forestry / Climate-resilient plants / Proven technologiesBioinsecticide for pest control in crops
Seipasa
Getty Images /© Lord Henry VotonSepaisa’s bioinsecticides are botanical and microbiological in origin. They offer a natural alternative to conventional synthetic insecticides for use in integrated pest management strategies and organic production systems. Pirecris® is one such bioinsecticide for pest control in crops, particularly for use against aphids, whiteflies and leafhoppers such as the green mosquito. The product has been developed with natural ingredients. When it encounters an insect, it blocks sodium and potassium channels that alter the transmission of nerve impulses in the insect, provoking hyperactivity and eventual death. More than 80 tests have been carried out on farms all over the world.
- Contracting type: For sale
- Technology level: Medium
- Country of origin: Spain
- Availability: Worldwide
Frontier technologies
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3. Agriculture and forestry / Climate-resilient plants / Frontier technologiesImproved drought tolerance through seaweed priming
BioAtlantis
Getty Images /© marjorie anastacioA plant’s natural defense capabilities that can be stimulated to react to pests, diseases or abiotic stress like drought or salinity. Priming technology – a form of pre-conditioning of tissues – can support plants in activating their natural defense systems, so they respond more efficiently to an attack. By applying a chemical agent that stimulates priming, the plant is put on a state of alertness, thereby minimizing any damage caused by a potential stressor [1]. The biostimulant Super Fifty (SF) produced from the brown algae Ascophyllum nodosum reduces the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which typically stifle plant growth during drought. At the same time relative water content remains high in SF-treated plants, while ion leakage – a measure of cell damage – is reduced. BioAtlantis now has a portfolio of six different bioactive priming products for application to crops.
- Contracting type: For sale
- Technology level: High
- Country of origin: Republic of Ireland
- Availability: Worldwide
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3. Agriculture and forestry / Climate-resilient plants / Frontier technologiesPest control through release of self-limiting insects
Oxitec
Getty Images /© kochievmvPest species such as armyworm, which feeds maize, sorghum and millet, have spread due to a warmer climate. It is especially destructive in Sub-Saharan Africa. Armyworm could potentially cost 10 of the continent’s major maize producing economies between USD 2.2 and 5.5 billion a year in lost maize harvests.[1] Oxitec is a developer of biological solutions to pest control. They work by releasing genetically-engineered male insects with a self-limiting gene into the environment. When they reproduce with wild females, their offspring inherit a copy of this gene and do not survive to adulthood, resulting in a reduction in the pest insect population. This method can be used to control many different kinds of insect pests. Oxitec’s technology is now being used to combat the autumn armyworm and improve agricultural outcomes.
- Contracting type: For sale
- Technology level: High
- Country of origin: United Kingdom
- Availability: Worldwide
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3. Agriculture and forestry / Climate-resilient plants / Frontier technologiesPhoto-selectivity mesh for crops
Hortomallas
Getty Images /© moflesPhoto-selectivity meshes on fruit and crop cultivations can provide protection against direct solar radiation, birds and insects. They also help regulate humidity, shade and temperature. This technology consists of plastic nets integrating light-dispersive and reflective elements such as chromophores (scattering of light that favors plant growth). This type of mesh is conducive to floral and vegetable growth as it reduces solar stress while avoiding excess shade. Different colors of mesh can be used to manipulate the radiation reaching different plants, so as to stimulate plant growth. Blueberries for example produce a higher yield with black netting compared to other colors.
- Contracting type: For sale
- Technology level: Low
- Country of origin: Mexico
- Availability: Worldwide
Horizon technologies
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3. Agriculture and forestry / Climate-resilient plants / Horizon technologiesCrop gene-editing using CRISPR-based technology
Pairwise
Getty Images /© wildpixelPairwise, an agricultural gene-editing company supported by Monsanto (now Bayer), uses CRISPR proteins to target and edit plant DNA. The goal is to assist farmers by providing new varieties of crops that require less growing resources. The company focuses on CRISPR-Cas9 applied research to improve agriculture, and supports researchers in applying technologies to reduce food waste, limit pesticides and improve drought resistance. The company has also used its gene-editing platform to develop branded leafy greens, seedless berries and pitless cherries.
- Contracting type: N/A
- Technology level: High
- Country of origin: United States
- Availability: N/A
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3. Agriculture and forestry / Climate-resilient plants / Horizon technologiesRobotized identification of crop characteristics
Alphabet
Getty Images /© Ekkasit919Google's parent company Alphabet has unveiled prototype robots to gather crop data. These rover robots – collectively nicknamed "Don Roverto" – measure crop traits by rolling through fields on upright pillars and capturing imagery of each plant. Machine learning is then used to identify traits such as leaf count, leaf area, leaf color, flower count, plant count and pod dimensions. This process of tracking plant characteristics and how they respond to the environment, called phenotyping, is normally slow and manual. The rover robots reportedly operate at far greater speed, frequency and accuracy than has previously been possible. For example, they have allowed researchers to observe closely the components
- Contracting type: N/A
- Technology level: High
- Country of origin: United States
- Availability: N/A
REDD stands for “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation”. The “+” represents forest conservation and management.
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