Scientists Are Developing , Heatwave-Resistant Plants , Amid Worsening Climate Crisis.<br />About 40% of all crops are lost <br />to pests and disease through <br />modern agricultural methods.<br />'The Independent' reports that <br />the outlook has become even more grim <br />as the climate crisis worsens.<br />Heatwaves can decimate crops, <br />impacting supplies of human food, <br />livestock feed and biofuel. .<br />High temperatures can also <br />impact plants' defenses <br />against pathogens and insects.<br />A team of scientists at U.S. and Chinese institutions believe they have identified the exact process which leads to failing plant immunity as temperatures rise.<br />The team has worked out a method of stopping <br />this process and boosting the plants' defenses <br />during periods of higher temperatures. .<br />Plants get a lot more infections <br />at warm temperatures because <br />their level of basal immunity is down. , Sheng-Yang He, study lead author and biology professor <br />at North Carolina’s Duke University, via 'The Independent'.<br />Researchers discovered that levels of a defense hormone called salicylic acid rise by up to seven-fold when plants come under attack by predators or diseases.<br />We were able to make the whole plant <br />immune system [for thale cress] more <br />robust at warm temperatures, Sheng-Yang He, study lead author and biology professor <br />at North Carolina’s Duke University, via 'The Independent'.<br />If this is true for crop plants as well, <br />that’s a really big deal because then <br />we have a very powerful weapon, Sheng-Yang He, study lead author and biology professor <br />at North Carolina’s Duke University, via 'The Independent'.<br />The team's work was published , in the journal 'Nature.'
