Meet the Scientists Hunting and Saving Wild Sunflower Seeds
Scientists look to the wild relatives of sunflowers and other crops to secure our food supply against the ravages of climate change.
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Scientists look to the wild relatives of sunflowers and other crops to secure our food supply against the ravages of climate change.
How to breed a climate resilient sunflower? Look to its ancient cousins. Already capable of growing in harsh conditions, sunflowers have the potential to withstand even more. BySarah Gibbens Email The trend is clear, says Brent Hulke: The climate is changing in North Dakota and sunflowers are working harder to survive. Hulke is a research geneticist specializing in sunflowers in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) research facility in Fargo, North Dakota. He helps breed better versions of the domesticated plant, Helianthus annuus, whose seeds we snack on and whose oil we cook with....