Genes in the Environment

Under the influence of longer-term climate change, crop growing conditions are becoming more extreme.

This results in unpredictable supplies of important food crops, volatile markets and food prices, and in extreme cases, social unrest and famine. Our increasingly unpredictable climate coupled with forecasted population increases require radical changes in the scope and rate of improvement in crop productivity over the next few decades to secure food supplies.

By understanding key fundamental processes, such as how plants grow and shape themselves, flowering time and how they adapt to changing environmental conditions, we can help breed crops that are more resilient and productive in a wider range of growing conditions.