Embrapa and Unicamp develop drought-resistant seeds

A Brazilian initiative aims to address the loss of productivity due to the prolonged drought with biotechnology. The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) and the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) have become partners to develop within five years drought-resistant seeds.

"The drought is the biggest loss factor in agriculture, in Brazil and worldwide. The partnership comes at a very important time, as the population continues to grow and there are increasingly more restricted production areas. We will develop varieties that at least mitigate the decline in production,"explains Paulo Arruda, coordinator of UMIP GenClima (Mixed Research Unit ofApplied Genomics to Climate Changes), in an interview with Terra website.

Until now, no less than ten EMBRAPA researchers have been directed to work on the unit. The initiative currently seeks funding agencies to finance the program.