In these states, irrigation has not only raised wheat yields but it has also enabled a shift from wheat to corn, a much higher-yielding crop.
This has been accomplished through a series of developments commonly referred to as the 'green revolution': increases in yields per hectare via higher-yielding crop varieties, optimizing the use of fertilizers and pesticides and improved irrigation practices.
But, Mr. Searchinger said, many of the recommendations in the report, such as breeding new, higher-yielding crop varieties or preventing soil erosion, could also help farmers adapt to climate change.
Can biotechnology deliver a new generation of higher-yielding crops better suited to difficult environments?
The overarching vision is not only that AI will help seed companies make key decisions to select for higher-quality seed that can deliver higher-yielding crops, while also speeding up that (slow) process.
Thus, the documentation of physiological phenotypes other than yield parameters could permit progress in breeding and developing higher-yielding crops in stress environments (Tardieu and Tuberosa, 2010).
The foundation said the work of the three scientists, who helped devise a way to insert foreign genes into plants, led to the development of higher-yielding crops that can resist insects, disease and extremes of climate.
Our aid programs should help focus on research into higher-yielding crops and make investments in infrastructure that will help farmers increase their yields and deliver their products to market.
BASF and the Monsanto Company said they would collaborate to develop higher-yielding crops that are more tolerant to adverse conditions like drought.
Both companies have strong positions in the U.S. seed industry and have been racing each other and other competitors to develop higher-yielding crops through genetic modifications and other means.
