By 2050, the global population is projected to hit 10 billion people. To support this growth, agriculture must expand production of plants for food, like tomatoes and maize; and fibers, like cotton; all while contending with increased temperatures, longer droughts, and more erratic weather patterns.
Agriculture also requires the use of water and nitrogen-based fertilizers. These resources not only drive up production costs but also have significant environmental impacts. Farming consumes about 70% of the world’s fresh water, primarily for irrigation. Likewise, nitrogen-based fertilizers are vital for crop growth, but they’re often overused, leading to runoff pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and wasted resources.
If crops could communicate precisely when and where they need water or nutrients, better information could revolutionize efficiency, cut costs for farmers, and reduce environmental harm. If humans could talk directly to plants, farmers could tell their crops ahead of time to prepare for adverse weather–for example, warning plants to conserve water ahead of a stretch of drought.
Scientists such as those involved in the Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems (CROPPS) are pioneering innovative technologies to make agriculture more efficient, sustainable, and responsive. By building Programmable Plant Systems (PPS) that tap into and program plants’ natural communication systems, scientists are helping growers use fewer costly inputs, while also reducing agriculture’s ecological and climate footprint.
