Water Use Efficient Crops
What Are They?
Water use efficient crops, or as some may call them drought tolerant crops, are crops that can survive in conditions with a limited water supply. Although they cannot survive with completely no water, they can tough through harsh conditions that other plants would not be able to. They can be extremely useful in locations that are known to have dry spells or a lack of rain, but that is really the extent of their effectiveness.
Drought tolerant crops are another example of a genetically modified crop that is not yet available for commercial use. However, Monsanto is planning on coming out with drought tolerant maize sometime in 2013, which can hold significant potential for farmers living in more arid regions of the world.
Complications
Water use efficient crops face the complication that soil is a big factor in surviving a drought. Even if a crop is able to live off little water, if the soil has extremely low quality then the plant will die regardless. This makes drought tolerant crops somewhat of a gamble as droughts affect multiple factors, not just the water.
Water use efficient crops can survive with little water longer than most other plants would. (Image Citation 47)
