Olomouc Research into the Impact of Climate Change on Plant Scores Internationally

The conference, attended by approximately 150 scientists from all over the world, was aimed at informing about the newest findings in research into abiotic stress and its impact on plants. Pranav Sahu, working in the Centre of Structural and Functional Plant Genomics of the Institute of Experimental Botany, part of the Centre of Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, is very delighted about the award. What pleases him even more is that his research will be directly reflected in practice, as well as the fact that he had the opportunity to deliver a lecture on his research specifically in India. “I come from India, and I considered it important to provide information on the results of my research here, since India is also already suffering from climate change: the average temperature has been rising and there has been a greater risk of droughts and floods. I am glad that our study has aroused interest and I hope it will inspire other colleagues.”
Pranav Sahu’s work focuses on mouse-ear cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) and its growth under simulated conditions reflecting the climate change in Europe and Northern Africa between 2020 and 2050. There are no similar data available so far. The head of the work group where Pranav Sahu works, Aleš Pečinka, emphasises that this information is very important and will help us prepare for the upcoming climate change efficiently and in time. “We are glad that our results will serve scientists as well as breeders. Some interesting and unexpected results have already occurred. For instance, the existing data indicates that the higher concentration of CO₂ may result in plants growing better and more quickly in Europe in 2050 compared to the current situation. Our analyses, however, also demonstrate that the key aspect will be their irrigation. It will be necessary to breed plants economically with water and capable of enduring droughts. Farmers will need to start using other cultivars, and we will have to learn how to manage water in nature more efficiently in general,” said Aleš Pečinka from the Olomouc laboratory of the Institute of Experimental Botany.
In contrast, North Africa will face an entirely different and much more difficult situation, as plants will not prosper here due to drought and heat. Apart from these findings, Olomouc scientists succeeded in identifying certain genes determining specific features and qualities of plants: “One of them is for instance the content of pigments – i.e. the colourants able to bond free radicals and thus positively influence our health. Our research confirms that some pigments can protect even the plants themselves,” explains Pranav Sahu. 
The research shall be finished next year, but according to Aleš Pečinka, there are new challenges already awaiting the scientists: “For example, we want to find out how some particular species of cereal crops will do in the future, and we would also like to allow the plants to grow under more varied conditions.” Pranav Sahu adds that without the facilities and equipment available to him in the Czech Republic, he would not be able to implement his research. “In Olomouc, I have everything I need to work very efficiently and achieve the results I deem important because they are related to food security assurance. My research would also not be possible without the utilisation of special growth chambers at the Global Change Research Institute in Brno. I would therefore like to thank all my colleagues and heads of both the Institutes under the Czech Academy of Sciences,” states Sahu.