Researchers use drought to solve future problems

The lack of rain in 2011 has devastated Texas agriculture. But amid the rows of wilting corn, cotton and soy, researchers and farmers have been able to salvage one item of interest: data.

"Yields were terrible, but for our research it was actually a silver lining in that we were able to get very good information on drought tolerance mechanisms in different wheat varieties," said Jackie Rudd, leader of the wheat breeding program with Texas AgriLife Research in Amarillo. "We're a breeding program, so with that information it's just going to increase the level of drought tolerance in our wheat varieties."

The weather conditions created a controlled research environment from which Rudd and his team took data used to develop stronger wheat varieties and fight back at the drought.

"Where we did have dry land and irrigated side by side, or different levels of irrigation, there was no confounding effect from rain," Rudd said.

Rudd and his team study agriculture in the Texas high plains and rolling plains regions, an area including much of the northwestern and central parts of the state.

"It's always unpredictable here on the high plains," Rudd said. "We've had dry years before, but to receive no rainfall during the growing season was unexpected."

Dry weather — which can eliminate entire crops and inflict billions in economic damages — makes Texas farming risky business. Rudd's team is trying to curb the risk faced by farmers, developing wheat varieties that are resistant to hot, dry conditions.

Rudd's group played a part developing TAM 112, a wheat variety originating in Amarillo that is grown throughout West Texas and Western Kansas due to its high level of drought tolerance.

According to Rudd, TAM 112 has become a very popular wheat variety because of its reputation as resistant to hot and dry conditions.

"With the wind and high temperatures in the high plains, the wheat plant just cannot take up enough moisture, even under irrigation or good rainfall; therefore, we always need drought tolerance," Rudd said.

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Texas wheat district estimates were 26 bushels per acre this year, down from 34 bushels per acre in 2010.

For the regions that Rudd studies, the difference was even more pronounced.

"Here, even under irrigation, a hundred bushel is about what we get," Rudd said. "This year it was around 60."

Texas corn production is forecast at 179.2 million bushels, down 41 percent from 2010, according to a National Agricultural Statistics Service report.

Drought conditions had a significant effect on corn production this year.

"Whenever corn gets more heat and drought stress, it increases the amount of aflatoxin in the corn," said Seth Murray, assistant professor of soil and crop sciences and corn breeder.

A fungus that infects corn is responsible for producing the chemical aflatoxin.

"When you eat sweet corn or any type of fresh corn, the fungus is not developed," Murray said. "It occurs in corn as it's drying down or in storage. It's one of the bigger problems in Texas with drought related to corn."

Although aflatoxin can be toxic to humans and animals, farmers are the ones who sustain the majority of the chemical's damage.

"Because we have such good food safety regulations, it's the farmers that pay the price because they can't sell their corn," Murray said.

But Murray said researchers are getting closer to solving the problem — or at least minimizing it. Mike Kolomietz, professor of molecular biology and corn breeder with Murray, identified a gene he believes could be responsible for drought tolerance.

"My program got a big USDA grant to look at the genetic variants of the gene," Murray said. "The goal is to look at the diversity of that gene and look at better alleles of the gene to identify a variant that has better drought resistance, or produces better yield under drought."

Identifying this magic gene could lead to a higher drought tolerance for corn, which would allow famers to produce more corn per unit of land. When considered in the $100 billion Texas agriculture industry, a gene saving corn crops from drought could have significant impacts for thousands across the state.