The Himalayas are home to plants that can withstand extreme weather. Could they help in making crops equally resilient and thus more resistant to climate change? That’s what an Indo-German project aims to find out.The remote “cold desert” regions of the Himalayas in northern India are notorious for their highly inhospitable terrain. The snow-clad mountain peaks soar over 4,500 meters high; the air is thin, frost covers the ground and there hasn’t been a drop of rain for months.
Yet, paradoxically, a variety of plants flourish in the rugged landscape. Just what is it that makes these plants withstand such harsh conditions?
It’s a question that scientists at the Jülich Plant Phenotyping Center (JPPC) near Cologne are puzzling over, and one they hope will offer clues to developing stronger crops in future.
http://futurenow.dw-world.de/english/2011/02/04/making-crops-drought-resistant-with-help-from-the-himalayas/tanaman pangan anti kekeringan dari himalaya?