The Fight Against Drought

Extreme Measures may not measure up when it comes to addressing the challenges farmers face with drought and climate change, at least according to some new research findings.  It appears that by thinking of worse case scenarios we might be scribing self fulfilling prophecies, since research is showing that crop varieties react drastically different to mild versus severe conditions, and a majority of circumstances farmers face are less than cataclysmic.  Have I completely confused you now, well I'll try to sort it out.

New Strategy for Drought Tolerance in Crops: Shutting Down the Plant's Growth Inhibition Under Mild Stress ScienceDaily (May 18, 2011)  Researchers have unveiled a mechanism that can be used to develop crop varieties resistant to mild droughts. For years, improving drought tolerance has been a major aim of academic and industrial research, thereby focusing on effects of extreme drought stress. However, translating this research to the field has proven to be problematic.