b'International Year of Plant Health /Climate ChangeThe Future Starts NowSeed breeders hold the keys to combating climate change.Melissa ShipmanCLIMATE CHANGE MAY Seed breeders are the not-so-secret to success seem like a hard case to crack,component of this goal.but seed breeders are workingPeggy Ozias-Akins, professor in the College of to unlock the solutions our worldAgricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of needs. Georgia (UGA), and director of UGAs Institute of Plant Anthony Leddin, AustralianBreeding, Genetics and Genomics, says only around plant breeder for Valley Seeds, says50% of a plants productivity is based on genetics, with climate change is not somethinga lot of other factors such as management practices that will affect the future of agricul- and other inputs, but without a strong starting point, ture. It already has.farmers are fighting a losing battle. A lot of people say climatePlant breeders are ultimately breeding for better change takes time, but were seeingyields, but climate change resistant cultivars are key to those changes incredibly fast. Inachieving that goal. some regions of Australia, wereClimate change affects water availability, so we in our seventh year of drought. Inhave to consider both drought and flooding. Climate the 10 years Ive worked at Valleyalso impacts what pests or diseases attack that crop, Seeds, Ive seen some of our breadOzias-Akins says.and butter breeds fail to survive in this environment, Leddin says.Anthony Leddin serves as a plantMajor and Minor CropsLeddin also works with anbreeder for Valley Seeds.Dave Bubeck, research director, Corteva Agriscience, NGO that works in plant breeding,says plant breeders are central to the industrys abil-particularly in developing nations,ity to support farmers managing their farms through called Plant Breeders Withoutclimate change.Borders. He has seen firsthandWe have to provide a product to growers that will the need for improved varietiesbe resilient and will adapt along the way to anticipated to combat climate change in thechanges, Bubeck says.coming years.New products are always in development with By 2050, we are going to needa continuously full development pipeline and geo-to increase our food production bygraphic testing around the world annually.70%, and that has to happen onOur global plant breeding team has to deliver the back of climate change, whichproducts locally as climate change has different could reduce current productiondegrees of impact around the world, Bubeck says. levels by 30%. That equates to aThe majority of that research is focused on major massive goal, Leddin says. crops, whereas most of Ozias-Akinss work focuses on With 2020 designated as thepeanuts, which is a minor crop. International Year of Plant Health,If you look at improvements over the past dec-one of the goals mapped out byades, there are tremendous gains in some crops and the International Plant Protectiononly minimal developments in others, Ozias-Akins Convention from the Unitedsays, citing maize, soybeans and cotton as crops that Nations Sustainable Developmenthave seen significant improvements. Goals, is No. 13: Take urgent actionPeanuts are planted on around 1.5 million acres in to combat climate change and itsPeggy Ozias-Akins, a professor atthe United States, compared to more than 90 million impacts.the University of Georgia.acres of maize. 10/ SEEDWORLD.COMJUNE 2020'