Meeting global food needs: Realizing the potential via genetics x environment x management interactions

Authors: Hatfield, Jerry; Walthall, Charles

Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/11/2015
Publication Date: 7/2/2015
Citation: Hatfield, J.L., Walthall, C.L. 2015. Meeting global food needs: Realizing the potential via genetics x environment x management interactions. Agronomy Journal. 107:1215-1226.

Interpretive Summary: Feeding the future world will require an increase in food and feed production in the order of 20-40% for grain and food crops. The challenge to this effort is to whether this is feasible given the constraints of climate change and degraded soil resources. The path toward feeding the world requires we begin to understand the limitations to achieving the potential yield of different crops and why actual yields are substantially below potential yield. To close this yield gap requires we focus on improving actual yields through a framework to understand the genetics x environment x management interactions. We can begin to screen a diverse collection of genetic material for their response to different environmental conditions under a range of management scenarios. These concepts provide challenges for producers and scientists to begin to approach yield barriers from a perspective of increasing actual rather than potential yields.

Technical Abstract: Global food needs are projected to double by 2050 to feed the nine billion people and the challenge presented to agriculture is whether this is feasible. These goals will be faced with an increasing variability in climate and more extremes in temperature and precipitation in all parts of the world and a decreasing land resource base in extent and quality. There are many challenges to be faced; however, focusing on the interactions of genetics x environment x management (G x E x M) offers the potential to feed the nine billion. This problem requires a different approach to understanding the genotypic responses to the biotic and abiotic stresses across different environments and management practices. To achieve this goal will require interdisciplinary teams across all agricultural disciplines to be able to approach this challenge from all facets and to explore these complex interactions. This challenge will require the bridge between experimentalists and crop simulation and bioeconomic modelers to foster a two-way interaction to provide feedbacks and improvements in the most effective way possible. Yield gaps offer a framework to assess the progress and the challenge will be to determine the most effective and efficient way of closing the yield gap by using water and nutrients more efficiently. We can meet this challenge; however, the paradigm of how we currently conduct research will not be rapid enough and we need to develop the transdisciplinary teams to represent each component of the G x E x M interaction.