Once again, Nature’s formidable science lab has yielded the solution to a problem that had been haunting scientists: how to preserve bean crops, which provide food security for more than 400 million people in the developing world, from an expected 50% reduction by 2050 given the sensitivity of the plant to excessive heat? Researchers at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture pulled out their old collection of seeds, and planted them to test for heat-resistant traits. The obscure tepary bean, an unappealing yet hardy survivor cultivated since pre-Columbian times, emerged as the clear victor—the bean to save all common bean crops as temperatures rise.
Ancient, forgotten bean to save world bean crop from global warming
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