Introduction
For the past 30 years Scientist have searched desperately for the answer to salt toleration within plants. The damaging effects of salt accumulation in agricultural soils have influenced both ancient and modern day civilizations alike. Worldwide, an estimated 24.7 million acres of once agriculturally productive land are being lost annually due to irrigation-induced salinity, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thus, crop production is limited by salinity on 40% of the worlds irrigated land and on 25% of the irrigated land in the United States. These statistics indicate that the progressive loss of farmable land is on a crash course with the expanding global population, in that if something is not done to revamp the output of crop production with in the next 30 years, we will bare witness to the first world wide foot shortage in history.
To solve the salt tolerance crisis, scientists have turned to genetics, an area that has been very beneficial to the Agricultural industry in the past century. In fact, thanks to the implication of genetics in the 1960’s the yield per acre of many major crop plants has doubled. This dramatic breakthrough is known as the “Green Revolution�. As a result of the Green Revolution, countries of western Europe, who used to be the worlds largest importer of food, have become self sufficient. The genetic improvement of crops worldwide played a substantial role in the recent decline in the balance of American trade.
While the Green Revolution doubled the output of crops across the world, Eduardo Blumwald’s work in the field of salt tolerance may in fact be the mother of all agricultural breakthroughs even bigger than the Green Revolution. Here’s why.
In order to maintain the current crop output, farmers must constantly irrigate their land. The irrigation process increases the salinity of soils and water by depositing soluble salts such as Sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfate, and chloride that the water picks up from the soils and rocks that it has passed through. As the irrigation process is repeated, the irrigated soils accumulate salt, at levels that decrease the productivity of the crops grown there. The salt in irrigation water can prevent plants from taking in needed water through their roots, this blockage in turn leads to the death of the plant in question.
In hopes overcoming the severe salt burden, Eduardo Brumwald has genetically engineered a tomato plant that can in fact grow, flower, and produce fruit in salt concentrations there were 50 times higher than normal.
Old World crops such as wheat, barley, rice, and turnips had not traveled west across the Atlantic. Some of the New World crops that hav...
With an ever increasing world population, massive third world hunger, and with an estimation that a child dies for every two seconds world-wide from starvation; this does not even take into account the number of people who are mal and undernourished, there is a great promise in the use of this technology to benefit not only the farmers, but also societies worldwide. We have been able to genetically modify plants so that they may be more resistant to insects, so that there is less pesticidal toxins sprayed. We have designed plants that require less water, less soil nutrients, preserving precious recourses. We have designed plants with higher yield, shorter seasons, plants that need less land to grow; we are said to be living in a time where we have the healthiest, most well-tested plants in the history of this
2) (reasoning) In Source B it talks about brackish water, water that has salt but is still drinkable and usable for growing crops, but it's not the best for it.
With the rapid growth of our global population pouring into the next millennium, we will witness an ever-growing hunger rate around the world. That is unless we call for a revolution on the global scale. The Green Revolution which already sprouted in the early part of the century only need to add a bit more momentum and we will see a bright future for the human race, a future without hunger and starvation ¡V hopefully.It is becoming increasingly difficult for the planet to support its overwhelming population. And since the amount of arable land available is becoming scarce, we must seek ways to dramatically improve crop yields of existing cropland.
Estañ, M. T., Martinez-Rodriguez, M. M., Perez-Alfocea, F., Flowers, T. J., & Bolarin, M. C. (2005). Grafting raises the salt tolerance of tomato through limiting the transport of sodium and chloride to the shoot. Journal of experimental botany, 56(412), 703-712.
plants increases so will the need for nutrient control programs to ensure the natural water bodies
An advantage to genetically modified crops is a higher crop yield; this means the crop will produce more crops compared to a crop that isn’t modified. A significant portion of genetically modified crops have being growing in developed countries. In the last couple of years there has been a steady increase in the amount of ...
The another devastating abiotic stress which is considered to be highly responsible worldwide for decreasing yield and quality of crop productivity is drought (Lambers et al. 2008 ; Moghadam et al .,2011; Mohsen Pourgholam et al.,2013 ; M. Farooq et al., 2012; Abolhasani and Saeidi, 2004 ; Monjezi et al., 2013).It harms plant growth and development and reduces crop growth rate and also affects biomass accumulation. Generally, in crop plants drought severely affects the cell division and expansion, elongation of root, leaf size, proliferation of root and inhibition of shoot growth (Sharp & Davies 1989; Spollen et al.,1993;Yamaguchi et al.,2010). Furthermore ,it also badly hampers all kinds of plant functions and physiological and biochemical traits such as mineral elements, carbohydrates, free radicals, ions, hormones, lipids, and nucleic acids (HongBo et al., 2005; Yasar et al., ; Moghadam et al .,2011,Mohsen Pourgholam et al,2013) .The transportation of nutrients from the roots to the stem severely get affected by drought as the rate of transpiration is reduced and damage of active transport and membrane permeability take place (Viets, 1972; Alam, 1999; Yasar et al ). Simultaneously, due to decrease in soil moisture, problem occurs with the low distribution of absorbed nutrients by the plant roots in the soil (Alam, 1999; Yasar et al ). More importantly, drought leads to rise in generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to energy accumulation in stress condition of plants (Smirnoff 1993; Asada 2006; Waraich et al.,2011).Drought diminishes photosynthetic carbon fixation primarily through restraining the entrance of CO2 into the leaf or by reducing metabolism (Smirnoff 1993; Loggini et al., 1999; Ap...
...ased adaptability among food crop species. While economic issues limit the ability of developing countries to increase agricultural inputs, these regions can find an advantage in the fact their agricultural practices tend to be more flexible. Meanwhile, technologies available to more developed countries are increasing the speed with which new cultivars can be developed, and the ability to understand and improve agricultural management practices. Ultimately, best results to developing agricultural systems which will provide a source of sustainable food for the entire world as climate change progresses; will be a result of a collaboration between scientists and farmers. When practices allowing for greater agrobiodiversity are employed the level of sustainability of our agricultural systems will advance and agriculture can become truly adapted to the new global climate.
According to scientists, genetically engineering crops contributes to their quality. Crops that have been genetically modified to have a particular trait can decrease the amount of herbicides needed for growing that crop. Additionally, genetically modified (GM) crops can help third world countries, where malnutrition is common. For example, to help diminish nutrient deficiencies in developing countries, “plans were underway to develop a golden rice that also has increased iron content”(Whitman 2). In addition, GM crops can be modified to be able to “withstand the environmental challenges of drought, disease, and insect infestation” (Swenson 1). Growing GM crops can also result in fruits and vegetables that stay fresh for a prolonged period of time and taste better.
Soil salinity is said to be “bad” for plant growth but is this really true? Is it just a big misunderstanding? Is it really the salts 'fault'? Are there no solutions to fixing this problem? These are some of the questions many people should be asking before deciding if salt is a friend or foe. Instead of just following whatever others say, people should know exactly how soil salinity is affecting crops and why this is happening. To know our enemy, in this case 'the salt', experiments has to be done, results must be gathered and processed and there must be an explanation to understand the different outcomes and results. We decided to find out everything about soil salinity and how it affects plant growth because plants are a huge part of our life, we live and breathe because of them and we want them to flourish. First, these are some information and questions that will make it easier to understand the whole concept altogether.
Genetic engineering enhances plant resistance to drought, salinity, disease, pests and herbicides. The aim is to try and enhance the growth, productivity, nutrient value, and chemical composition of the plants. Chemicals are constantly being developed or improved to enhance the competitiveness and adaptability of crops, and to kill the parasites and weeds which plague the agricultural sector. . This however is not always good as the plant and the pests then become resistant to these new chemicals defeating the purpose of it being used. The new chemicals which are produced to kill these strong pests and weeds may be more harmful to other plants and remove nutrients within the soil in turn reducing the yield of agricultural crops. The benefits of these characteristics are seen in Argentina according to Pelletier (2010) as they use glyphosphate resistant soybean which allowed the comeback of this crop, as the so...
The problem of water scarcity has increasingly spread throughout the world as of yet, The UN reports that within the next half- century up to 7 billion people in 60 countries which is more than the whole present population will face water scarcity (Sawin “Water Scarcity could Overwhelm the Next Generation”). As well the demand for freshwater has tripled over the past 50 years, and is continuing to rise as a result of population growth and economic development. 70% of this demand derives from agriculture which shows the influence of water on food supply globally as well not just drinking water (Sawin “Water Scarcity could overwhelm the Next Generation”). But increasing water use is not just a matter of the greater number of people needing it to drink and eat; it also comes from pollution and misuse of water supplies, by either dumping or runoff of bacteria or chemicals into water. This also “causes other pollutions as well such as soil and air pollution, accelerating wetland damage and human caused global warming” (Smith and Thomassey 25). According to UN report, recent estimates suggest that climate change will account for about 20 percent of the increase in global water scarcity in coming decades.
Sandra Postel, on the other hand, has a different opinion than Danielle’s. She proposed that “without increasing water productivity in irrigation, major food-producing regions will not have enough water to sustain crop production”.
Agriculture also leads to soil erosion, both through rainfall and wind. This soil can damage the aquatic ecosystems it ends up in, an...