How scientists research drought-resistant crops

NARRATOR: Long, hot summers of protracted droughts will soon be a common occurrence across Europe. This will, of course, be disastrous for farmers. Recent studies have revealed that grain yields drop by 10 percent for each degree by which the average summer temperature increases. Wheat and barley are at their most sensitive during the seed development phase, meaning that extended periods of heat and drought can lead to a 70 percent reduction in yield.

At the IPK Gattersleben Institute in Germany, scientists are searching for varieties of grain that can survive on very little water and can still develop enough seeds even under very hot and dry conditions. A different variety of barley is growing in each of these pots. The scientists have developed an ingenious system of watering them. At first, the plants receive a few drops of water each day, but then they are given none at all. The researchers control the precise amount of water they receive via computer. First, they want to find out which of the barley varieties can cope best with an extended period of drought. They take constant readings from the plants to see how they react to the lack of water. This will help them understand what metabolic processes come into play. The scientists are particularly interested in the leaves. This is where photosynthesis takes place and also where water is stored and distributed. The researchers take samples at regular intervals and freeze them at minus 196 degrees centigrade. This inhibits all metabolic processes, ensuring that nothing changes in the leaf until the researchers are able to study the complex interplay between genes and proteins back in the laboratory. What the scientists are hoping for is full insight into how precisely the molecular physiology of cereal crops is affected by prolonged lack of water.

HARDY ROLLETSCHEK: "What makes it so difficult is that there are many different types of genes and many different types of proteins. There are hundreds of thousands of them. These proteins and genes are active at different times. On top of that, the number of different interactions between them is almost infinite. So trying to understand these interactions is the primary goal of many research projects currently underway, including ours."

NARRATOR: The enormous amounts of data that the tests generate can only be managed by bioinformaticians and their sophisticated computer programs. But while they are trying to understand the effects drought has on plants and find the right genes, the variety of barley with the characteristics they are desperately seeking might have already disappeared for good.