Many thanks for this interesting news.
It confirms how important it is to understand the nature, not for fighting against it but much more for collaborating with it.
Cheers,
Yves

Very interesting. Now, if we could figure out some way to make wheat, corn, milo and other small grain crops grow in drought conditions we would have the best of both worlds.

Lawrence Hardin --

Thanks for the info regarding wheat research. I have farming interests in the Oklahoma Panhandle, although I no longer live there, and that is the reason for my interest in crop yields of some of the other small grains.

As you are probably aware, the High Plains of the US (basically everything west of the 100th meridian to the Rocky Mountains for those unfamiliar with the area) tends to the very dry side -- pretty much a high desert climate but with excellent soil conditions. All it requires in a "good" year is enough rain at just the right time and it is possible to raise some really great dryland crops.

Unfortunately, this was not one of those years.

My grandfather always said he lost far more crops to drought than he ever lost to too much rain in that part of the country.

Nice to know that work is being done to create some new varities of wheat that will help solve at least one of those problems.