“The big race is for the corn” said Julio Ferrarotti.

Throughout the world, researchers are seeking plants better adapted to stress. In the Biotech Forum, which will take place in Rosario on June 18 and 19, sponsored by Infocampo, will be presented the degree of progress that there is for the crops to have better performance in less favorable situations.

“All lines of work related to heat stress, drought, cold, floods, are
related to climate change, and in this sense what we are going to hear in
the forum concerns to the progress in developed countries, in emerging ones, and, of course, in Argentina.” says Julio Ferrarotti, organizer with Pablo Adreani (Agripac).

- What is being done in the world in terms of adaptation to drought?

-At both private and public levels, there is much activity in the world in
this issue. In the United States, the European Union, Japan, Australia,
Brazil and Argentina there is aimed research. In our country, the station
Obispo Colombres, in Tucumán, has an event for soybean that is at
deregulation in the National Commission of Biotechnology, and Bioceres is
also working with the Universidad Nacional del Litoral.

- What mechanisms are involved in the adaptation of crops to water stress situations?

There are several strategies that can be amplified genes or combined genes
of amplified expression, which regulate defense mechanisms against drought, or it may be the introduction of inedit mechanisms, present in xerófitas species (adapted to dry climates) that are not present in cultivated
species. Mechanisms are linked to stomatal closure, osmotic regulation, cell
tolerance to plasmólisis, etcetera.

In legume we are working on the efficiency of biological nitrogen fixation,
as it has been seen that a plant in a better nutritional status supports
stress better. Ultimately, however, all lines are aimed at improving
efficiency in water use, especially in a scene where the drought seems to be
more frequent.

- What degree of progress is there?

Already, there are different announcements. In the United States have been
shown plants to drought conditions compared to normal plants, and the
positive effects are able to be seen of these transformed plants. Also, the
Biotechnology Institute of Rosario is working on the issue of water shortage
and the photos I saw about the experiments are more than auspicious.

- What are the crops that are of most interest and when they could be released for production?

-The great race is in the corn, which is a crop with high sensitivity to
drought. However, soy is being worked in this direction. The “when” is most
difficult to know because it depends on the regulatory processes.

-What would have happened in this campaign of 2008/09 if farmers were able to use crops better adapted to dry conditions?

-We would have had a lot less losses in performance. Perhaps much of the
production could have been saved.

Source: ASA / Infocampo