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Generally pulse growers in the northern United States plant their crops in the spring. McGee is growing peas, lentils, and chickpeas that are sown in autumn instead.
For some farmers a simpler solution is to switch crops altogether, since there are crops that can withstand and even thrive in tropical climates.
Whatever the solution crop growers decide to go with, it is clear that climate change has an effect on harvests, and that effect is here to stay.
Sources: (BBC)
See also: Climate change: how extreme weather is affecting our world
McGee is breeding some of her crops to be more resistant to heat, but she is also taking another approach: breeding crops to withstand cold.
The idea is that these will survive the winter and then have a head start on flowering early in the summer before a potential heat wave hits.
In 2021 a heat wave in the north west United States wreaked havoc among pulse plants. Chickpea production, for example, fell by more than 60%.
To quote McGee, "If farmers in the Pacific Northwest or in the Mountain States or in the High Plains are going to grow peas, and the climate is going to be warmer, then we have to have peas with more heat tolerance.”
Pulse crops, including dried beans, peas, lentils, and chickpeas, do not need a lot of moisture. However, their pollen aborts if they get too hot, just like tomatoes.
At the same time, many crop breeders are themselves working hard to develop and grow crops that are better able to withstand heat.
Gloria Muday, of Wake Forest University, is part of a cross-university team that is working to discover which molecular mechanisms and genes would help tomatoes to survive heat.
For example, the fertilization of tomatoes is known to be particularly heat sensitive. Currently, tomato growers time their crops to bloom during cooler periods.
However, according to tomato farmer Randall Patterson, "If it does get hotter, and if we do have more nights over 70°F, that's going to close our window."
A single cell from a pollen grain grows into a tube that delivers genetic material to a plant’s ovary. High temperatures cause the proteins involved in this process to break down.
We will not go into detail about plant reproduction here, but we will note that pollination (the transfer of pollen to a plant or flower) is key for fertilization.
Remembering that without effective pollination much of our diet is at stake, the race is on for researchers to find a way to help pollen beat the heat.
As Gloria Muday of North Carolina’s Wake Forest University explains, "The critical parameter is the maximum temperature during reproduction.”
In a bid to combat this, many farmers aim for their crops to bloom after the cold of the winter has passed, but before the heat of the summer arrives.
However, researchers are now beginning to realize that extreme heat can damage crops in another, very alarming way: by killing pollen.
However, as climate change increases the number of days that temperatures reach 90°F (32°C) across the globe, it is becoming almost impossible to get the timing right.
While the discovery that extreme heat is a pollen killer is alarming, it has become increasingly clear that not all plant cultivars (AKA plant varieties) are equally susceptible to heat.
A lesser-known, although potentially devastating, repercussion of extreme weather, particularly extreme heat, is related to the harvest of certain crops.
It is becoming increasingly clear that extreme heat can damage pollen and prevent fertilization in crops such as corn, peanuts, and rice.
Of course, it is no great secret that extreme heat is bad for crops. Heat and drought have caused poor harvests since time immemorial.
In recent years the effect of climate change on weather patterns is plain for all to see. From ice storms in Texas to bushfires in Australia, extreme weather is clearly on the rise.
Incidents of extreme weather can be very disruptive. They can bring whole communities to a standstill and even, tragically, claim people’s lives.
A less commonly discussed impact of extreme weather, however, has to do with crops. Of course, the idea that extreme heat is bad for crops is nothing new. However, researchers are now beginning to realize that extreme heat can harm harvests in a way we weren't aware of.
Check out this gallery to learn how heatwaves are causing a pollen crisis.
How heatwaves are causing a pollen crisis
A lesser-known repercussion of climate change
LIFESTYLE Environment
In 2024, climate change continues to affect our planet in different ways. One of the most visible impacts of climate change is extreme weather, which always gets people talking when it directly affects them.
A less commonly discussed impact of extreme weather, however, has to do with crops. Of course, the idea that extreme heat is bad for crops is nothing new. However, researchers are now beginning to realize that extreme heat can harm harvests in a way we weren't aware of.
Check out this gallery to learn how heatwaves are causing a pollen crisis.