Meeting Global Food Needs: Realizing the Potential via Genetics × Environment × Management Interactions

Abstract

Global food needs are projected to double by 2050 to feed the 9 billion people and the challenge presented to agriculture is whether this is feasible. Th ese goals will be faced with an increasing variability in climate and more extremes in temperature and precipitation in all parts of the world and a decreasing land resource base in extent and quality. Th ere are many challenges to be faced; however, focusing on the interactions of genetics × environment × management (G × E × M) off ers the potential to feed the 9 billion. Understanding and quantifying yield gaps off er a framework to assess the progress, and the challenge will be to determine the most eff ective and effi cient way of closing the yield gap by using water and nutrients more effi ciently. Th e more feasible approach of increasing potential will be to increase the actual yields rather than increasing potential yield. Actual yield increases and overall productivity can come from management systems focused on increasing land productivity because our ability to expand the available land resources are not a viable option. Development of methods of screening genotypes for a variety of responses to combinations of environmental and management scenarios off ers the potential pathway to developing a robust structure for G × E × M. We can meet this challenge; however, the paradigm of how we currently conduct research will not be rapid enough and we need to develop the transdisciplinary teams to represent each component of the G × E × M interaction.

Confronting Climate Change Challenges to Dryland Cereal Production: A Call for Collaborative, Transdisciplinary Research, and Producer Engagement

“…Yield and quality performance results from the interactions of genetics, environment, and management (G×E×M; Hatfield and Walthall, 2015), while approaches that are based on a single technological innovation in one of these areas can only provide partial success (Anderson et al, 2016). Since both breeding and agronomy were instrumental in the achievements of the green revolution, continued innovation will be required to meet these ongoing challenges (summarized in Anderson et al, 2005; in their review of ongoing work on yield gaps in Australia).…”

“…Conceptual, structural, cultural, and statistical and institutional innovation are needed to coordinate the agronomic and genetic efforts. This entails at minimum considering not only the Genotype × Environment interactions that are requisite for improving crop varieties, but in addition the role of management in achieving the greatest potential on the ground, leading to the G × E × M concepts (Hatfield and Walthall, 2015). Discussion at TCSACC embraced the recognized need to extend these efforts to include socioeconomic aspects; deliberately integrating social, scientific, and engineering disciplines to consider the holistic food sector, and to adopt the integrating principles of agroecology (Francis et al, 2008;Hatt et al, 2016) (Figure 1) .…”

“…Cereal systems in semi-arid regions, like all food production systems, are social-ecological systems (SES), as such it is widely recognized that they can be productively studied within a broad framework that encompasses genetics, environment, management and social dimensions and their interactions (G × E × M × S) (Figure 1; Hatfield and Walthall, 2015;Tonnang et al, 2017). Hence, efforts to improve them must be transdisciplinary [Wickson et al, 2006;Francis et al, 2008; National Science Foundation (USA), 2015; Wigboldus et al, 2016], bridging traditional agricultural and related ecological, biogeochemical, hydrological, meteorological, social, and economic disciplines (Howden et al, 2007;Francis et al, 2008;Hatt et al, 2016).…”

Grand Challenges in Understanding the Interplay of Climate and Land Changes

“…It is likely that climate variability and change will adversely impact food security in areas currently vulnerable to hunger and undernutrition (Wheeler and von Braun 2013). Variations in the production of annual and perennial crops and shifts in suitable production areas of agricultural crops are projected to increase and will impact food security in the future (Hatfield and Walthall 2015). Increased heavy precipitation will increase erosion and degrade soils to reduce their potential for production (Nearing 2001;Lal 2004;Nearing et al 2004;Garbrecht et al 2015).…”

Sustainable Intensification of Global Agronomic Output

“…Some improvements can be expected from genetics development (Jaggard, 2010). Management systems focused on increasing land productivity will increase actual yields (Hatfield & Walthall, 2015), especially management of As seen in the bottom right hand field in Table 2, the trend line prediction for area harvested to the top-five grain crops will increase by 31.5% by 2050 relative to 2005.…”