Newly discovered genes in Morocco could rescue drought-hit harvests in Europe

This summer’s extensive wildfires, particularly in Spain, Greece and France, have forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes and destroyed large areas of farmland. Across the EU, around 500.000 hectares have already burned this year, far above the average for the past 20 years. Drought is also taking its toll on the food production needed to feed Europe’s population.

“With climate change, plants are increasingly exposed to environmental stresses such as drought, which will reduce growth and yields. There is also a risk that new plant diseases and pests will make their way to our latitudes. We need to find ways of safeguarding crop production in this changing reality.”

These are the words of Mette Vestergård Madsen, Professor at the Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University. Following an extended period of fieldwork with her team in Morocco, Lebanon and Austria, she has now returned home with a number of promising barley genes in her backpack.

As leader of the international BarleyMicroBreed research project, Professor Madsen has been involved in studying 600 different barley varieties. The aim has been to identify genes capable of promoting interactions between plants and underground microorganisms, thereby improving the plants’ drought tolerance.

“Our idea is that many genes in modern agricultural crops behave like spoilt teenagers because the plants receive their nutrients from artificial fertilisers and therefore have no need for microorganisms in the soil. We have identified barley genes that help regulate the composition of bacteria on the roots, the plant’s response to stress and the structure of its root system. These are functions that clearly have the potential to counteract drought stress,” says Mette Vestergård Madsen.

From 27 to 29 August, she will take part in The Climate Festival in Middelfart, where she will present the preliminary results of the field trials in Morocco, Lebanon and Austria.

The fields of the future

At plant-breeding company Nordic Seed, which develops new varieties for farmers, the research findings have been met with enthusiasm.

“For us as plant breeders, it is particularly exciting that the project is identifying genetic factors that influence the interaction between barley and the soil microbiome. This knowledge can be translated into new varieties that are better equipped to cope with the climate challenges of the future. The vision is to develop crops that are better able to work together with the soil’s natural microorganisms, thereby becoming more resilient and producing more stable yields under dry conditions,” says Jens Due Jensen, Head of Breeding at Nordic Seed.

Against a backdrop of war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and geopolitical uncertainty, the Danish authorities have also begun to view food supply as an aspect of national security. Eskild Holm Nielsen, Dean of the Faculty of Technical Sciences at Aarhus University, therefore believes that the BarleyMicroBreed research project could have far-reaching implications for Denmark’s ability to strengthen its resilience.

“Food supply is no longer simply a question of agriculture and climate. It is also about the resilience of society and our ability to cope in a more uncertain world. That is why research like this is important. If we can develop crops that deliver stable yields using fewer resources and under more extreme weather conditions, we strengthen both agriculture and our food security,” says Eskild Holm Nielsen.

Professor Mette Vestergård Madsen will give her presentation on climate-proofing crops at The Climate Festival on Thursday, 27 August at 12.30 pm.

Watch the full programme here: 
https://klimafolkemoedet.dk/program/