With climate change, population growth, and alternative energy needs all contributing increased challenges for growing food to feed the world, some scientists are looking towards nuclear technologies to unmask hidden potential in plants.  The goal is to allow plant breeders to develop new varieties of crops to withstand environmental stresses.

The result may be that we end up with crops that can grow in more extreme conditions… and possibly more extreme ways.  As advances are made to various technologies, one may start questioning what has been done to the asparagus to make it grow in the mountains.

“It is important to remember the contribution that nuclear technology can give to the development of crop varieties that thrive in an environment suffering from the consequences of climate change,” says Qu Liang, Director of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear techniques in Food and Agriculture (NAFA).

“Through the use of nuclear techniques and related biotechnologies, we have been contributing significantly to the effort of achieving sustainable food security.”

The group has developed barley varieties in the Peruvian Andes that grow in adverse conditions at altitudes above 3,000 metres and salinity-resistant rice varieties are also being used in Vietnam in the Mekong delta region, amongst others.

While this all seems very positive, is it safe?  By implementing radiation induced mutations and efficiency enhancing bio-technologies such as in vitro techniques, molecular markers and genomics, are scientists putting people in long-term danger to solve a short-term problem?  The effects down the road cannot be known for sure until we get there.

Times are desperate.  People are starving.  Given the current situation, it is probably a good idea to let caution slip by for now in an effort to make changes now.  Still, it is hard to tell someone their food that has radiation induced mutations is completely safe now and into the future.

(source: International Atomic Energy Agency)

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