He summarized a variety of possible approaches to breed or grow plants to resist the stress of dry conditions. Root systems can be modified. Changes can be made to the rates at which plants lose water and take up carbon in the form of carbon dioxide gas. Plants can be spaced and bred so they cover more soil, reducing water evaporation from soil. Vegetation residue can be left on soil to reduce water loss.
Plants use photosynthesis to convert water and carbon dioxide into biomass.
The 30 percent lower water loss from such wheat means the wheat also takes up less carbon dioxide, so the growth rate is reduced by 10 percent. So the yield of such wheat is reduced in areas with abundant water. But such wheat has better yields than conventional wheat when grown during the dry fall, winter and spring months in northern Australia, where rain falls mostly during the summer, Condon said. He also told of wheat that can be bred for genes that allow the seeds to be planted deeper, where soil is wetter. Agricultural Research Service in Lubbock, Texas.