Monday, March 14, 2011

global warming putting Africa's vital maize crops at risk


A rise in temperature of just 1C during drought conditions could cut yields from three-quarters of Africa's entire maize crop by at least 20 per cent.
Even with adequate rainfall, 65 per cent of the crop would suffer losses, scientists have warned.
The research shows that maize, a staple food crop in many parts of the world, is far more vulnerable to global warming than had previously been thought.
Prince Harry helps villagers in Phororong, Lesotho, turn over the ground of their maize fields in 2006. Scientists today warned that a rise in temperature of just 1C could prove disastrous for African maize crops
Prince Harry helps villagers in Phororong, Lesotho, turn over the ground of their maize fields in 2006. Scientists today warned that a rise in temperature of just 1C could prove disastrous for African maize crops
Researchers combined data from 20,000 trials in sub-Saharan Africa with information from weather stations across the continent.
'The pronounced effect of heat on maize was surprising because we assumed maize to be among the more heat-tolerant crops,' said Dr Marianne Banziger, from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre based in El Batan, Mexico.
'Essentially, the longer a maize crop is exposed to temperatures above 30C, or 86F, the more the yield declines.
'The effect is even larger if drought and heat come together, which is expected to happen more frequently with climate change in Africa, Asia, or Central America, and will pose an added challenge to meeting the increasing demand for staple crops on our planet.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1366156/Global-warming-putting-Africas-vital-maize-crop-risk-claim-scientists.html#ixzz1Gdssiaoj

No comments:

Post a Comment