One of the more ominous results of global warming may be the inundation of rice-growing areas in Asia. Responding to this threat, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines is setting up a consortium to study the impact of global warming on the world's largest food crop.
Flooding is not the only concern. Higher temperatures threaten to harm yields and nutritional value. They will also worsen water shortages and complicate weed and pest management. A plan outlined last month calls for the establishment of three rice-growing supersites, about 20 hectares each, in the Philippines, southern China and northern India. There, scientists will experiment with crop combinations and test new cultivars for tolerance to heat, drought, ozone, and other pollutants. "When we find those tolerance genes in rice, we'll be able to make them available to other crops as well," says ecologist John Sheehy of IRRI, which is fronting $2 million toward the consortium.
CREDIT: R. J. HIJMANS/IRRI
