“When drought becomes the norm, we need to explore new paths”

Just like their colleagues in other countries throughout Southeastern Europe, Romania’s farmers have been frequently grappling with extreme periods of drought for years. The drought stress has been detrimental to the corn crop. Modern plant breeding is giving rise to hope.

The worry lines on Marcu Razvan’s forehead are deep. The farmer is standing on a corn field located near the small Romanian city of Alexandria looking around with a perplexed expression on his face. Harvest time is right around the corner and the light yellow leaves, the state of the developing kernels on the cobs and the ankle-deep ruts in the ground are all evidence of the drought that has gone on for several months.

Marcu Razvan lets out a noticeable sigh. He has a degree in agricultural engineering and has been cultivating mainly corn and wheat, in addition to sunflowers, rapeseed and barley, on around 970 hectares of land in Alexandria, which is an approximately two-hour drive away from Bucharest. The soils in this region are generally ideally suited for crop production, as they have a high percentage of clay, which could theoretically result in healthy yields. However, over the past few years, there have been several periods during spring and summer where it does not rain at all for weeks. Thus, while the plants do grow tall, many of the crops have not developed sufficiently.

Marcu Razvan explains that large-scale sprinkling measures are technically not an option and especially not affordable. At least some of the corn fields receive around 20 liters of water per square meter every three days. The difference to the non-irrigated field sections is clearly recognizable. “But there is no water pump that can replace real rain.”

In addition to the drought, the significant temperature fluctuations have also posed considerable problems: “We have differences of up to 20 degrees in just one day, which is combined with nights that are far too cold. This is just too much for the plants to handle! When I’m in the field, I can actually feel that the corn is not developing properly.”

Nevertheless, his passion for farming remains undaunted. “When drought becomes the norm, we need to explore new paths,” says Marcu Razvan. In the course of this, he has had positive experiences with the hybrid seeds from KWS. Modern varieties prevent pollination from being delayed, therefore enabling optimum cob formation. This creates corn plants that are better equipped to handle drought stress. Marcu Razvan explains: “This is a huge help, because ideally this amounts to between 20 and 30 percent until the harvest.”

Just how well his corn crop will turn out this year will be revealed over the next few weeks. “I just love the harvest,” says Marcu Razvan with a mischievous grin. “Seeing the result of my work year in and year out is simply the best of all.”

KWS conducts extensive research on the topic of drought stress

Modern varieties exhibit a higher degree of drought tolerance

It has been quite a while since the increasing dryness ceased being an exceptional phenomenon. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has declared the years between 2015 and 2019 as the warmest-ever five-year period since the measurements began approximately 150 years ago – and this applies throughout the world. Crop failures resulting from the climate change are becoming one of the most urgent topics for farmers. That is why KWS is conducting extensive research on the topic of drought stress.

George works in the breeding station a few kilometers away from Marcu Razvan's fields and has been studying hybrids with a higher tolerance to drought for years. Especially in Southeastern Europe, KWS is breeding and conducting extensive tests on varieties that have adapted well to frequently occurring periods of drought and the challenges throughout the different growth phases. The breeding process also factors in traits that are relevant for drought tolerance, which contribute to overall variety stability. The work conducted by George Musat and his colleagues who are also experts on the topic of breeding is aimed at achieving an optimum balance between consistent yields and drought tolerance.

KWS has combined drought-tolerant grain corn varieties, stemming from a research and breeding program that bears the “ClimaControl3” label and focuses precisely on this topic. The number three in the name stands for the precise number of growth phases during which drought stress can cause entirely different consequences – either before, during or after blooming. The corn plant requires special properties in each one of these three phases to minimize the damage caused by drought.

KWS cultivator George Musa

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