China Scientists Work to Make Potatoes More Resilient to Climate Change

In a lab in Beijing, scientist Li Jieping and his team are studying how potatoes react to heat. They recently harvested small potatoes, one of which was as tiny as a quail's egg. These potatoes were grown in conditions that mimic the hotter temperatures expected in the future. The results of this study are worrying because they show how climate change could affect food supplies.

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The potatoes were very small, weighing just 136 grams (4.8 oz). Normally, potatoes in China are much larger, sometimes as big as a baseball. China is the world’s biggest producer of potatoes, and they are important because they grow quickly and provide a lot of food. However, potatoes are sensitive to heat, and with climate change causing higher temperatures, this could lead to floods and droughts.

Li is leading a three-year study to find out how higher temperatures will affect potatoes. His team is looking at two types of potatoes that are commonly grown in China. Li is worried that if the temperature keeps rising, farmers will harvest fewer potatoes, which would impact food security. "Farmers will get fewer potatoes, and this will affect food supply," Li said.

For this study, Li’s team grew potatoes in a room where the temperature was 3°C higher than usual in northern China, where most potatoes are grown. The warmer temperatures made the potatoes grow faster, but it also reduced the amount of potatoes produced. This research was published in the journal Climate Smart Agriculture.

According to the United Nations, the world could warm by 3.1°C by 2100 if nothing is done to stop it. In China, farmers are already seeing the effects of extreme weather. In Inner Mongolia, workers are hurrying to collect potatoes before more rain comes. "Heavy rain is the biggest problem this year," said Wang Shiyi, a farm manager. "It has caused diseases and slowed down the harvest."

To deal with these challenges, a potato company called Yakeshi Senfeng Potato Industry is trying new methods to grow potatoes. They are using a system where potatoes are grown in the air, which helps avoid bad weather.

Farmers are asking for potatoes that can resist diseases like late blight, which caused the Irish Potato Famine. Late blight grows in warm, wet weather, and it’s becoming harder to control. "New types of late blight are harder to manage," said Li Xuemin, a manager at the company.

Li’s research is part of a project with the Chinese government to help farmers deal with hotter and wetter weather. Outside Li’s lab, workers are pollinating potato flowers to make them stronger and more resistant to heat. These new types of potatoes are important for the future.

Li says that farmers need to make changes soon. He suggests they start planting potatoes earlier in the spring or move to cooler areas. "Farmers need to prepare for climate change," Li said. "If we don’t act now, they will grow fewer potatoes, and prices will rise."

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