Global warming would cause decrease of rice yield, a latest research by crop physiologists from Huazhong Agricultural University revealed. This research result has been published on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ((PNAS,2004,JULY6,V01.101:9971--9975),and drawn wide concern from the world scientific circle.

This research focusing on the influence on rice yield by global warming was jointly conducted by Dr. Peng Shaobing, an expert on physiology of Chinese crops from the International Rice Research Institute, Philippines (IRRI) and Dr. Huang Jianliang from the botanical science institute of the University.

The research team analyzed and studied data concerning temperature and illumination during rice growth in 25 years in IRRI, and found that during the growth period of local rice the average lowest temperature at night had been increasing gradually. Meanwhile, the team also organized corresponding field tests, in an attempt to find out the impact of major meteorological indexes on rice yield. Field tests for 12 consecutive years showed that the lowest temperature at night was the biggest influence, which led to a 10 percent yield decrease upon each growth of one degree centigrade.

Researchers are now looking for the fundamental cause of the yield decrease, hoping to breed a new strain of high yield despite rising temperature.

There are 2.5 billion people around the world who take rice as main food and the world's 90 percent rice is grown in Asia's tropical or sub-tropical zones. Under the trend of global warming, the drop of rice output will cast a direct impact on world food security. Therefore, when the research was published on PNAS, it immediately drew wide attention and was called a research of great significance for world food security.

By People's Daily Online