Future heat waves a major threat to Australian plants

We surveyed plant life around the globe for their high-temperature tolerance and we showed that the potential for damage is most severe for hot, inland, mid-latitude regions. An international study led by ANU has found the hottest temperatures on record this year are bad news for Australia's plants. But further research promises to help design food crops that will be able to handle heat stress. Lead researcher Professor Owen Atkin said the study found native plants in inland Australia were near a tipping point in coping with the rising temperatures, which suggested that they would struggle to survive during future heat waves. "We surveyed plant life around the globe for their high-temperature tolerance and we showed that the potential for damage is most severe for hot, inland, mid-latitude regions," said Professor Atkin from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology at ANU Research School of Biology. "Maximum air temperatures during heat waves in Australia are among the most extreme globally." With funding from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology and the Grains Research Development Corporation (GRDC) in Australia, researchers are using the results of the study to identify wheat varieties capable of better handling heat stress. Professor Atkin said plants growing in the dry, inner regions of Australia were at particularly high risk.