HUN-REN: This year’s drought may mainly affect the yield of corn, potatoes and apples

(Photo: AI)

In their statement, they emphasized: according to the center’s researchers, droughts will not only become more frequent, but will also last longer and affect increasingly larger areas. In the short term, drought primarily damages agricultural production, severely affecting the most important arable crops. In the longer term, repeated, severe drying causes a decrease in the organic matter content of the soil, structural deterioration, and a weakening of the water retention capacity, thus worsening the quality of the soils, which leads to a decrease in productivity. This year’s drought is particularly sensitive to corn, water-intensive legumes and potatoes, but it affects almost all arable and plantation crops, especially if the lack of precipitation occurs during critical development phases. Fruit trees are weakened by continuous water shortages, they become more susceptible to diseases, and drought during flowering can cause significant crop losses – they explained.

According to the announcement, the effects of drought can be reduced with a number of technological solutions

The effects of drought periods can be offset by breeding plant varieties that are more tolerant to water shortages and heat stress, as well as by increasing the organic matter content and water retention capacity of the soil. In Hungary, the size of irrigable areas must be significantly increased, and outdated irrigation systems and water abstraction works must be modernized based on a comprehensive water management strategy. According to researchers at HUN-REN ATK, artificial intelligence can effectively help in drought management by optimizing the use of resources and accelerating plant breeding. AI algorithms can determine the optimal water and nutrient requirements of agricultural areas, improve the efficiency of irrigation systems and reduce chemical use. They can also significantly shorten the time needed to breed new plant varieties that are more drought-tolerant or resistant to various pathogens by analyzing available genetic and environmental information.

MTI