Farmers could become more efficient users of water and nutrients with the proper investment in root biology, Agwest Bio president Wilf Keller said .
He made the case during a recent University of Saskatchewan-organized Food Summit in Saskatoon.
Making modifications to the root and the region where the soil and root interact could improve nutrient and water efficiency, drought tolerance and seed vigour.
“We haven’t done much work on selecting plant growth and yield in the area of roots,” he said.
“It’s going to be a rich source of knowledge that I believe will play an important and critical role in addressing of our ability to produce more crops, more food and higher quality products … while we bear in mind the sustainability issue of using as little water as possible, managing our soil resources, building up carbon in our soil.”
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He said Saskatchewan, which is home to crop and soil researchers at the University of Saskatchewan as well as the Canadian Light Source and federal and private resources, is well positioned to put together “a major effort” in the area.
“Most certainly success depends on multidisciplinary teams,” he said, noting the research would be relevant to all forms of agricultural production, including organic and urban.
“I strongly recommend more research in this area as we try to build up more sustainable food production systems.”
