Enhancing climate change resilience in agricultural crops
Yoselin Benitez‐Alfonso, Beth K Soanes, Sibongile Zimba, Besiana Sinanaj, Liam German, Vinay Sharma, Abhishek Bohra, Anastasia Kolesnikova, Jessica Dunn, Azahara C. Martín, Muhammad Khashi u Rahman, Zaki Saati‐Santamaría, Paula García‐Fraile, Evander Alves Ferreira, Leidivan Almeida Frazão, Wallace A. Cowling, Kadambot H. M. Siddique, Manish K. Pandey, Muhammad Farooq, Rajeev K. Varshney, Mark A. Chapman, Christine Boesch, Agata Daszkowska‐Golec, Christine H. Foyer
Abstract
Climate change threatens global food and nutritional security through negative effects on crop growth and agricultural productivity. Many countries have adopted ambitious climate change mitigation and adaptation targets that will exacerbate the problem, as they require significant changes in current agri-food systems. In this review, we provide a roadmap for improved crop production that encompasses the effective transfer of current knowledge into plant breeding and crop management strategies that will underpin sustainable agriculture intensification and climate resilience. We identify the main problem areas and highlight outstanding questions and potential solutions that can be applied to mitigate the impacts of climate change on crop growth and productivity. Although translation of scientific advances into crop production lags far behind current scientific knowledge and technology, we consider that a holistic approach, combining disciplines in collaborative efforts, can drive better connections between research, policy, and the needs of society.