Breeding climate-resilient sunflowers
News Source: National Geographic
April 16, 2021
“It is a crop that’s very well suited for climate change, in part because you have the wild relatives, which give it options for creating more environmentally resilient cultivars.” – Dr. Loren Rieseberg
Dr. Loren Rieseberg, CSFS associate and professor in UBC’s Department of Botany, commented on how sunflowers are considered one of the more environmentally resilient crops.
Sunflower roots extend twice as deep as those of corn – this allows them more access to water. However, with global warming and less predictable growing conditions, the genetic diversity of its family members is examined to identify evolutionary advantages from their DNA.