Developing drought tolerant crops: hopes and challenges in an exciting journey

Abstract

Abstract. Under increasing water scarcity, food production for an increasing population is a global challenge. Maintaining crop production under limiting water supply is a common problem in agriculture, which is best addressed by the coordinated efforts of geneticists, physiologists and agronomists. This special issue is a selection of oral and poster presentations at the InterDrought IV conference, held in Perth (2-6 September 2013). These papers provide a broad, multidisciplinary view on the way to develop improved cultivars in the face of water deficit, providing the conference highlight: an integration of views from different disciplinary angles, generating constructive debate that was not buried in disciplinary silos. More specifically, the topics covered deal with the challenge of adaptation implicit in genotype-by-environment interaction, bring new perspectives on root systems and water productivity, and review the challenges and opportunities provided by crop management, genomic and transgenic approaches to cultivar improvement.

Achieving Water and Food Security in 2050: Outlook, Policies, and Investments

“…Other authors suggest that advances in plant genetics, agronomy, biotechnology, and animal science will provide the improvements needed in crop and livestock technology to achieve further increases in yields [136][137][138][139][140][141][142][143][144]. However, some authors question whether the needed advances can be developed, tested, and implemented broadly within the time available between now and 2050 [145].…”

Drought resistance, quality characteristics and water‐yield relationships of some wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) lines and varieties

“…For this reason, drought adaptation studies of different varieties of the same species can be carried out to increase the tolerance of varieties. Therefore, in response to drought and increasing food demand, obstacles to the feeding of the world's population can be prevented (Vadez et al., 2014). The production of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.), which is one of the basic food raw materials of human nutrition, has decreased in recent years due to extreme temperatures in major wheat‐producing countries and drought that threatens production.…”