Sub1 Rice: Engineering Rice for Climate Change

  1. Pamela C. Ronald2
  1. 1Department of Economics, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155-6722
  2. 2Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Genome Center, University of California, Davis, California 95616
  1. Correspondence: pcronald{at}ucdavis.edu

Abstract

By the year 2100, the number of people on Earth is expected to increase by ∼50%, placing increasing demands on food production in a time when a changing climate is predicted to compromise crop yields. Feeding this future world requires scientifically informed innovations in agriculture. Here, we describe how a rice gene conferring tolerance to prolonged submergence has helped farmers in South and Southeast Asia mitigate rice crop failure during floods. We discuss how planting of this new variety benefited socially disadvantaged groups. This example indicates that investment in agricultural improvement can protect farmers from risks associated with a changing climate.



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      1. Cold Spring Harb. Perspect. Biol. 11: a034637 Copyright © 2019 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved

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