NewIndPress: The recent and unexpected twists and turns in global weather have underlined the need for developing climate change-compatible crops in the state, but research in this direction is yet to be kicked off in earnest. The crops of the future must be able to withstand saline water incursion, heightened temperature levels and the vagaries of inconsistent monsoons among other things, experts say.“During the last two years, the maximum temperature has gone up by 0.8 degrees and the minimum temperature by 0.2 degrees in Kerala. This increase will inevitably affect agriculture and we need crops that are attuned to climate change," Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) research director D Alexander said.
In the year ahead, development of climate change-tolerant crops is one area which the KAU plans to focus on, he said. “Rice varieties like the ‘pokkali’ can withstand such changes in temperature up to 41 degree Celsius. Palakkad has the maximum temperature in the state and the rice varieties grown there can withstand the high temperature levels," he said. “Also, the pokkali varieties are floodtolerant, but we definitely need dedicated research on climate change-tolerant crops.”…
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