Plantagenet wrote:Tanada wrote: there is a world of difference between inserting Cacti genes that use different photosynthesis pathways into traditional crops to make those crops resistant to higher heat levels and engineering a cactus subspecies into an abundant food crop.
Sure some Cacti have tasty bits like the flower buds of the 'Strawberry Cactus', or the fruit of the Prickly Pear, or even the leaves of certain other species. What they all have in common is the genetic blueprint for enzymes that are not broken down by the high desert temperatures which is what kills our traditional crops if they get exposed to too much heat for too long of a period during their growth and reproduction phases.
Its a great idea. Heres hoping this technological fix to help crops cope with global warming works out.
We'll put the GMO heat-tolerant apple trees right here, and the GMO heat-tolerant corn is going in over there....
Temperature is just one of the factors affecting crop production. Plants also thrive in certain 'bands' of photo-periods, need a range of temperatures (cool nights, warm days), soil temperatures for germination vs. growth phases, humidity affects a range of diseases, and pests thrive in different conditions. In our area, a warm winter with limited periods below freezing can insure a very significant increase in certain pests. Warm, humid nights mean increased crop losses from molds and fungi. Differing soil conditions due to changes in humidity and temperatures affect soil biology in ways many crops are sensitive to.
As a longtime grower, I could go on about chasing changing conditions with a variety of cultivars. Success requires experience and a lot of luck, perennial crops can take years to establish, and seasonal/annual crop success is often hit-and-miss without some form of climate control/moderation. This is why greenhouses and hightunnels can pay for their higher up-front costs. For open-field growing, weather weirding can be very challenging, especially at scale.
Meanwhile, the natural world fights back. See Glyphosate resistant weeds like "Super Pig Weed" (Palmer's Amaranth) as just one example; something I've been battling for years even though I don't use herbicides in our gardens. I suppose I could just give up and harvest the amaranth, eh?