Drought is the main problem for Andalusian farming. Plants do not grow; they die before ripening and their fruits do not evolve. The research group Crop Physiology and Technology, of the Faculty of Sciences, is trying to palliate this sort of situation. These members of the University of Granada are an interdisciplinary group in which physiology and agronomy are a whole together with collaboration with private companies, the Andalusian Institute for Public Works and the University of Almería. Nine persons work directly to improve hard wheat. According to the director of the group, Luis Fernando García del Moral Garrido, «Andalusian agrarian future is in the new crop techniques. Plants suffer from variable seasons in Andalusia, with very dry periods and plenty of water in other seasons. El Niño, climatic changes, temperature incidences… cultures have to be able adapt». Farmers face up to the problem of producing more, but respecting conserving the landscape and controlling pollution. «The use of water is a limited good and we are trying to produce the same or a higher quantity with less pollution conserving the landscape».
Physiology intends to improve productivity removing fertilizers or pesticides, «the farmer must be respectful with the environment and improve consumer´s standard of living. On the other hand, the so-called sustainable agriculture intends to harmonize material resources of the region with the conservation of forests or natural reserves». But the main problem is water. «Farmers have to compete in water with cities, tourism and industrial use. Water is a scarce good and thus we must think in about the most suitable way to use it in crops». The way to help in this sort of situation hangs on a good command of agromechanical techniques, use of fertilizers and mechanization; or the study that is carrying out this group from Granada, «Plants».
Members of Crop physiology and technology are working to find out which characteristics cereal crops should have to take advantage of resources in an efficient way. «We study the best adapted species in resources and production». To improve a plant, genetists work with biotechnological techniques, but they need to know what should be improved. Not a long ago, everything was empiric: Varieties of each species were sowed and compared; afterwards varieties were crossed to obtain the most suitable one. However, it required a time and effort that were not always positive. Researchers from Granada work on physiological charecteristics adapted to localized environments. «The solution to analytic genetic improvement is to find easy-to-measure parameters in field conditions that allow to guide the selection in a fast way». The group Crop physiology and technology is working to improve tools. «An example is chlorophyl content in the long term, relative composition of the isotope of carbon (which allows to have an idea of the drought resistance in the plant) or infrared thermometry to measure leave temperatures (analyse water efficiency, since drought, high temperatures and high radiation which Mediterranean crops suffer cause real problems in plants and this technique allows to know which plant remains fresher with the same amount of water)».
Fluorescence
In addition, researchers use chlorophyl fast fluorescence, «plants emit fluorescence when they can not carry out photosynthesis suitably and it helps to know the water level or the determinants they need». Water and omnatic adjustments work as drought resistence indicators, «plants in dry soils absorb water in a very different way and this indicator shows us how to use water in a more efficient way». Likewise spectroradiometry that measures crop radiation reflects and trasmits adaptation capacity to the environment. Thay have different growth and development characteristics to the mediterranean cycle with a rainy autumn and dry spring and summer. «A solution could be to find a variety that adapts to the Andalusian climatic calendar taking into account variables like temperature, light and water use. Plants which ripen soon are of interest to avoid drought and winter frosts, to bring forward the crop cycle».
Researchers work with non-commercialized plants that they cross to get an almost perfect variant; jabato and viotrón usually work and have already come out. But, «it all is very relative because there are species which adapt perfectly to a place and have problems in another one; all cereals are not the same». However, we can tell which features they should have. According to García del Moral it is essential «to incorporate genes that permit an efficient water use during grain filling, photosynthetic structure resistance to temperature or plants that keep their amount of chlorophyl during grain ripening».
Another essential factor for physiologists is the isotopic study of carbon. «In the atmosphere there are several isotopes of carbon (12, 13 and 14) whose difference resides in the amount of neutrons. Plants usually use carbon 12; when it is in stress situations and exhausts carbon 12 assimilates carbon 13. Therefore plants that keep fresher are those that use less carbon 13″. All these variables are of use for genetists to work in producing “a non-transgenic plant because it belongs to the same species; they work to improve the plant in a genetic way until it adapts to the environment and the necessary resources for its production reduce». Researchers´ work makes genetics specialists´ work reducing the process, although it still needs between eight and nine years. «There are some species that have already been sent to the record and they have been accepted».
However, the work of the group Crop Physiology and Technology does not limit to doing it. Researchers have started a new work line for the Study of selection morphosiologic criteria as an analytical approach to improve hard wheat to resist drought. «Until now we had to cross and analyse descendants, cross them again and verify if adaptations remained. The aim of this study is to find molecular markers with genetic engineering techniques to identify the molecular level of the features wanted for descendants. The study is centred in high temperatures and drought». With these research works and mutual collaboration among the different branches of science, expertos intend to make farmers´ work easier and to produce more and better. This way, they can satisfy a market that increases by leaps and bounds.
Further information:
Director of the group Crop Physiology and Technology: García del Moral Garrido, Luis Fernando. Department of Plant Biology.
Phone number: 958.243253- 54 Fax: 958. 248995
E-mail: bvegetal@azahar.ugr.es
